Countless anime deserve praise from all around the globe but are not very famous in the otaku community. There can be different reasons for an anime to be underrated, such as limited fame and low ratings.
Low ratings don’t always mean that the anime is not worth a watch; each anime has something special about it. Don’t fret; your otaku friend has brought a list of the best-underrated anime of all time. So, don’t think much about them, and if you feel even the slightest bit of interest in the entries mentioned below, start watching them!
35. Haibane Renmei
Looking for a mystery fantasy anime? Watch Haibane Renmei! In this anime, we follow the life of a girl named Rakka. She is a Haibane, and her appearance is slightly different from humans, with a halo on her head and wings on the back.
Rakka opened her eyes to an unknown world without having any memories from the past. She tries to adjust to the place and learns about the rules and regulations. There is a rule that Haibane is not allowed to step out of the village.
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Meanwhile, the story becomes intriguing with the sudden disappearance of some of the Haibane. The mystery and suspense keep the anime spellbinding, so watch it patiently!
34. His And Her Circumstances
Time for another love story anime that is undoubtedly the best underrated anime. Yukino is our female lead, and we follow her life. She is one of the most popular students in the school for her perfect appearance, grades, athleticism, and work.
Yukino loves enjoying the spotlight, and deep down, only she knows the struggles to maintain her reputation. The male representative of the class, Souichirou Arima, makes her life more challenging. She considers him her rival as he is also the top scorer, and she tries her best to replace him.
After getting the top scores, she was happy to replace him, but she was left surprised when Souichirou came to congratulate her. Things become interesting between the two when Souichirou confesses his love to her. Though the girl refuses at first, she soon regrets her action. One thing leads to the other, and fate brings them close.
33. ItaKiss
It’s another great romantic comedy to watch. The story revolves around a girl named Kotoko whose life becomes challenging after losing her house. Having no other place to live, she starts living in the house of Naoki, the most handsome boy and her crush.
The fact that she once tried to give him a love letter adds more to her already troublesome life. Kotoko takes this opportunity and decides to win Naoki no matter what. She remains hopeful that one day she will win him. The anime is about their love-hate relationship, and watching Naoki develop feelings for Kotoko is absolutely fun. If you like love stories, prepare to witness a beautiful one!
32. Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride)
Futaba Yoshioka is our female lead who was very popular among the boys in middle school because of her personality. After entering high school, she hides her femininity to avoid gaining unnecessary attention.
She had feelings for a boy named Kou, but she was heartbroken when he disappeared without telling anyone about his whereabouts. When she learns that Kou has returned to the school but has a different name now makes her happy and curious at the same time.
Fuutaba gets surprised to see Kou, who is changed entirely. He is no longer the sweet and kind boy she knew; he has become cold, calculated, and distant. What will Fuutaba do to win his heart? Will she return to being popular again like she was in middle school?
31. Say I Love You
Mei Tachibana is heartbroken and has no hope from people. Everything changed in her life when her classmates blamed her for the death of their pet. She tries to stay away from people and doesn’t like making friends.
After she meets a popular handsome boy named Yamato Kurosawa, things change for her again. Yamato finds her interesting and offers to be his friend, but Mei doesn’t want to experience the same again. Fate brings them closer, and their relationship becomes stronger after Yamato shocks her with a sudden kiss to save her from a stalker.
It’s a beautiful love story where we see Mei coming out of her bubble. Nothing is more charming than Mei finding a friend and a lover in Yamato.
30. My Love Story
Takeo Gouda is our cute, chubby protagonist who doesn’t enjoy a good reputation among girls. Despite being a kind-hearted man, girls avoid him because of his looks and appearance. To top it off, his handsome friend Makoto grabs all the attention and half of his chance to win a girl is destroyed because of him.
Takeo’s life changes after he loses his heart to a girl named Rinko. However, he feels disappointed, guessing that she loves Makoto. Guess what? Our cute boy decided to bring Makoto and Rinko together despite having feelings for her.
29. Skip Beat
Kyouko Mogami is our female lead who is in love with her childhood best friend, Shou. She is doing multiple jobs only to provide him with everything. She rents an elite-class apartment just to make him happy.
However, one day she overhears his conversation where he confesses that he considers not more than a housemaid. The words shattered her and left her heart broken. Kyouko was a strong girl who decided to take revenge, and thus, she tried entering showbiz. Little did she know that the universe doesn’t let anything bad happen to good people, and she gets her rewards in the form of a handsome Tsuruga Ren.
28. Hyouka
Oreki is a high school student who wants to live a peaceful life without wasting energy on useless things. Unfortunately for him, his sister forces him to join a club to stop it from disbanding due to a lack of members.
Unwillingly, he joins it and meets the other club members. Oreki never thought that joining the club would change his life entirely. The students’ simple life remains no more simple as they find themselves entangled in complex mysteries. If you like school-themed mysteries, then watch before anyone else.
27. Puella Magi
It’s a magical girl anime, and it is focused on dark themes. Madoka and Sayaka are the two best friends approached by Kyuubey, a talking cat. Kyubey offers them a surprising offer that he will fulfill their one wish if they agree to become magical girls.
The girls were taking their time to think about the offer, but before they could answer, Homura stopped them. She warns them that the life of a magical girl is not easy and is filled with brutalities. There is so much mystery that one keeps pondering in the first few episodes to learn about the story.
However, the twist begins when Sayaka agrees to become a magical girl, and within a few days, she dies. It’s the best watch for all lovers of magic, action, and dark-themed anime.
26. Lovely Complex
Finding a couple with unusual heights is rare, but it definitely is cute. We all have seen a couple with a short girl and a tall boy, but have you seen the opposite? No worries if you haven’t; Lovely Complex is all about Risa, a tall girl and Ootani, a short, heightened boy.
Both of them are humiliated for their unusual heights. Life is not easy on them, and they soon realize it when their crushes find their partners. It’s extremely disappointing to see the duo being made fun of by the students and the teachers. This cute love story is about Risa and Ootani, who understand each other’s flaws and embrace each other with love.
25. Vampire Knight
Nothing can replace vampire love stories when it comes to romance. Vampire Knight highlights the lives of three characters, a girl named Yuuki and two boys named Kaname and Zero. The academy they study in isn’t ordinary, as it teaches vampires in the night class.
Kaname is our handsome vampire who is every girl’s dream, but he loves only Yuuki. In fact, Yuuki also harbors feelings for him as he once saved her from a deadly vampire attack. However, Zero harbors extreme hatred for the vampires, which complicates things for the trio. There is a love triangle in the story, so it will be difficult to guess who will end up with Yuki. Last but not least, it has a really engaging plot filled with mysteries.
24. Riddle Story Of Devil
Tokaku is our female lead who joins one of the elite academies. However, unlike typical students, she hasn’t enrolled to study but to take the life of a girl named Haru Ichinose. To top it off, she is not the only one.
In fact, 11 other assassins like her share the same mission. One wish will be fulfilled if any of them is successful in their mission. Things turn interesting when Tokaku feels attracted to Haru and can’t kill her. While everyone is trying to kill Haru, Tokaku is standing in their way to protect her beloved new friend.
23. Special A
Hikari Hanazono is a talented girl who always wants to be the best. She was good at almost everything, be it exams or whatever. Contrary to her expectations, a boy named Kei Takishima started taking first place. She never thought that replacing him would be extremely difficult.
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However, our girl never lost hope and continued to struggle to be the best. The duo joins the same high school and becomes the top student. They soon become a part of a special group called Special A consisting of 7 best students of the school. Their lives become engaging and are not as simple as they seem. Let me disclose something interesting about Kei; he harbors feelings for Hikari! (XD)
22. Yona Of The Dawn
Yona Of The Dawn definitely didn’t receive the love it deserved; hence we are mentioning its name on the list of best underrated anime of all time. Princess Yona is an innocent and kind-hearted princess who has lost her heart to her cousin Soo-Won.
She blindly trusted him, which is why she was completely broken seeing him murdering her father for the throne. While everyone was trying to harm Yona on the orders of Soo-Won, our main character and her best friend Hak came to her help.
He protected her and cared for her more than anything else in the world. The duo seeks shelter in Hak’s village, and their bond changes from friends to lovers with time. Apart from revenge and action themes, it focuses on fantasy as well. Watch it yourself if you want to know what makes it a fantasy! (XD)
21. Food Wars
It’s a must-watch for food lovers, especially those who want to become a chef. How many of you have thought about running your father’s business in the future? Souma is like some of us who wanted to run his father’s restaurant. However, there are rare chances that the universe’s plans will be similar to ours. So, Souma’s dream is shattered after learning that his father is shutting down the restaurant. The story takes another turn, and we see him being admitted to the Culinary Academy, famous for its low graduation rate. The academy makes the students indulge in tough cooking competitions, which makes it difficult for them to graduate. It’s indeed one of the best-underrated anime of all time.
20. Kuroko No Basket
Those who have watched know how great this masterpiece is, and it deserves so much more love. We follow two characters named Kuroko and Taiga. Kuroko is not athletic, and everyone thinks he lacks the right skills, whereas Taiga is more like a prodigy.
Watching Kuroko excelling in almost everything and making people believe that he is someone special will enthrall you. A sports anime is incomplete without competitions and tournaments, so get ready to witness multiple intense matches between different teams.
19. Toilet Bound Hanako Kun
It’s a supernatural and school-themed anime involving engaging subplots and entertaining characters. Like many schools, Kamome Academy is filled with multiple ghost stories; some are rumors, while others are fact-based.
It is famous that a spirit named Hanako in the girl’s washroom can grant any wish. Many have tried, but he doesn’t appear; however, when a girl named Nene summoned him, he appeared, surprising her. Nene wanted to impress her crush and wished the same, but Hanako San refused to help her.
Nene was a stubborn girl who knew how to make Hanako agree. However, her actions created trouble for herself instead, and she was forced to stay with Hanako as an assistant. Next, we see Hanako and Nene unveiling the mysteries of the school (seven wonders). Needless to say that it is one of the best-underrated anime of all time.
18. Black Prince And Wolf Girl
This is a must-watch anime for lovers of romance and love stories. Erika is a naive and innocent girl who fears being cut off from friends and society. All her friends have boyfriends, and she fears her friends will abandon her, knowing she lacks one.
Therefore, she clicks on a hot and handsome stranger and shows the pictures to her friends to impress them. Little did she know that she had knocked on the door of problems as the stranger was actually the most popular guy named Sata from her school!
As expected, she begged the boy to fake their relationship, but the poor girl didn’t know that Sata was a bully. He agreed on the condition that Erika would follow all his orders and act like his dog! Wanna know more? Go watch it right now! (XD)
17. Darker Than Black
We are introduced to a world where everything has changed after the appearance of two mysterious gates named Heaven and Hell. These gates are the reason behind the emergence of contractors. Contractors are people who sacrifice their humanity to achieve supernatural abilities.
Misaki is our female lead whose life takes a different turn after she encounters a mysterious contractor named Hei. he works to solve mysteries and uncover things that can prove fatal for the contractors. The plot is intricate, involving politics, conspiracies, and betrayals. If you are a lover of thriller mysteries, then you will enjoy watching Darker Than Black.
16. Hell Girl
Interested in horror? Don’t miss the opportunity to binge-watch Hell Girl. It introduces a different idea and way of taking revenge. There is a mysterious website for the ones who seek revenge. If one wants to take revenge, they access the website at midnight, and after putting in the details, a girl named Ai Enma visits the requester.
It is a rule that AI Enma will take revenge for the person, but in the end, the one who wanted revenge will end up in hell. Yes, there is no in between both the target and the requester’s last place is HELL. Only Ai Enma is the recurring character; otherwise, the plot is episodic, and we are presented with multiple thrilling stories. It’s one of the best horror anime on this list of the best underrated anime of all time.
15. Bakugan
Bakugan is indeed the best underrated anime, and you’ll realize it soon after watching the first episode. The story begins with the rain of mysterious cards capable of summoning powerful creatures. One thing led to the other, and the battles between different Bakugan users for fun and entertainment began.
Dan Kuusou is the main character who dreams of becoming the best Bakugan leader. The story has multiple twists and mysteries, and apart from just fights, there is a reason behind the entry of Bakugan into the human world. They are not just for entertainment; there is so much more linked to them.
14. Beyblade: Metal Fusion
Ginga is the main character, and we follow his journey of stopping the evil masterminds from causing harm to the world. Dark Nebula is the antagonist whose mission is to rule the world, and Ginga and his friends try everything possible to stop him.
The interesting point is the beyblade battles between the characters. There are many times when we couldn’t imagine befriending our foes, but it happens. So, the same goes for this one as well; you can expect many unexpected scenarios.
13. Digimon
We are introduced to a world where the human world is attacked by creatures called Digimon. Masaru is the main character who ends up befriending a cute Digimon named Agumon. Surprisingly the duo becomes good friends, and it’s extremely amusing seeing them sharing a strong bond.
The story continues, and we see them getting recruited by the government to solve the mysteries related to Digimon and to solve the problems created by them. Masaru and others like him along with their Digimon try their best to protect the world as much as they can. Meanwhile, the revealing of certain mysteries makes the story spellbinding. Otaku from Gen-Z already know that Digimon is the best underrated anime of all time.
12. Mirumo
We follow the life of a timid girl named Kaede. She feels difficulty in expressing her feelings to her crush because of her shyness. One day when she bought a cocoa cup, everything changed in her life. There was a letter in the cup saying that whatever wish she asked would be granted.
Kaede does whatever was written in the letter and wishes to date her crush Yuuki. Surprisingly, out of the blue, a Muglox named Mirumo appears right before her eyes. Mirumo is so cute that one’s heart skips a beat whenever one sees him. It is revealed that he is a prince hiding from his bride as he doesn’t want to marry him. The entry of Mirumo into her life changed her life entirely, and nothing remained the same for her.
11. Angels Of Death
It is one of the most thrilling and bone-chilling anime I have watched. The story begins with a girl named Rachel opening her eyes in a hospital where a psycho doctor tried killing her. Surprisingly, no one else was there on the floor except for the doctor and her.
She ran to save her life and ended up on another floor where she met Zack, another psycho killer. He wanted to kill her, and Rachel was also tired of her life, agreeing to be killed. The duo made a deal that Zack would kill her only if she helped him escape the building.
The building has multiple floors, each having a person. It is forbidden to enter each other’s floor, and the one breaking this rule will have to die. The story is gripping and suspenseful right from the very first second. So make sure to give it a watch, as it’s the best underrated anime of all time.
10. To Your Eternity
The author of this anime has come up with a unique idea of introducing a shapeshifting orb in the human world. The orb is capable of learning and mimicking anything. At first, the orb takes the shape of a stone, followed by a dog, and finally, a human boy.
It can only take the form of the people who die. Therefore, the boy meets different people on his journey and learns different things. From speaking to eating and from caring to loving, he learns everything bit by bit with experience.
To Your Eternity is one of the saddest and the most underrated anime I have watched. It presents a unique idea, and watching Fushi’s journey will make you emotional. It offers much more, including the powerful antagonists, action sequences, mystery, suspense, etc.
9. The Promised Neverland
If you liked watching Stranger Things, then be glad you will love The Promised Neverland. It revolves around three orphans, Emma, Norman and Ray, who live happily in an orphanage managed by Miss Isabella.
For Emma, Isabella is her everything, and she never wants to leave her. A mysterious thing about the place is that after a specific period, a child gets adopted. When one of their friends leaves the orphanage, Emma and Norman follow her out of the gate, breaking the rules.
They just wanted to give her a stuffed toy she left, but the sight they saw shattered their world. The duo saw the girl being eaten by a monster, and the unbelievable thing was that Isabella knew everything. Emma and Norman decided to escape the place, so they kept planning from that moment onwards. The anime offers suspense, thrill, and a lot more, so watch it if you want to be thrilled.
8. Sk8 The Infinity
This is the story of a skateboarder named Reki. He simply loves skateboarding and can’t live without it. At night, he participates in an illegal and dangerous skateboard race, where he loses his arm and the board.
His encounter with a boy named Langa changes everything. One thing leads to the other, and the duo goes to the dangerous place, S, where Reki used to participate in the race. There, things become problematic when Langa is forced to participate in the race due to a bet. Langa is not an ordinary boy and holds many secrets. We follow the duo in their journey of making friends and rivals and how they cope with the ups and downs of their lives.
7. The Irregular At Magic High School
If you are a fantasy lover and love watching magic anime, then you will love to rewatch this one. The brother-sister duo, Tatsuya and Miyuki, are the main characters. The story begins with them being admitted to one of the elite magic academies.
Soon after the test results, the siblings are separated from each other into different groups. Everyone thinks that Tatsuya is an average student till he shocks everyone with his skills and abilities. He is hiding countless things about his true self for some reason.
His character makes the story extremely engaging and spellbinding for the viewers. The Irregular At Magic High School has some great animation and characters. Do you still doubt about it being the best underrated anime of all time?
6. Mushishi
The anime introduces us to “Mushi,” a form of life capable of mimicking almost anything, be it diseases, disasters, or many things. Despite this, Mushi is still a mystery, and people have no idea about it in great detail.
A man named Ginko is our protagonist, who is curious about their existence and mystery. Therefore, he works as a Mushishi and researches them to find answers to various questions. Mushi is a must-watch anime for everyone searching for the best underrated anime. It has the perfect story filled with mystery and supernatural elements.
5. Monster
In this anime, we follow the life of a popular doctor whose one decision changes his life. Dr. Kenzou Tenma is a well-known neurosurgeon who was once forced by the hospital’s director to treat a renowned person. However, at that time, Tenma was already treating another patient, but because of the pressure, he had to switch patients.
The renowned personality was treated successfully, but the man he treated earlier died. The incident gave him regrets, and Tenma vowed to never do that again in the future. After some time, he faced a similar situation again, but this time, he decided to treat a needy patient instead of a powerful personality.
Little did he know that this day would change his life. He was successful in saving the patient, who was a boy named Johan Liebert. As Tenma refused the request to treat the popular personality, his career was at stake. Still, something shocking happened that saved his career. The Director of the hospital and a few more people were murdered. BUT HOW? Who did this? To know more about the story, start watching Monster. I hope you don’t have any doubts about it being the best underrated anime of all time.
4. Another
The mystery element of this anime is next level, and one is intrigued right from the very first second of the story. Class 3-3 of Yomiyama North Academy has its own mysteries. Kouichi is our male lead who joins the academy as a transfer student. He soon gets attracted to a mysterious girl named Mei Misaki.
He tries to befriend her, but she asks him to stay away from her. To top it off, none of the students wants to talk about her, and in fact, they deny the existence of the girl. The mysteries become even more intense when the ones who try to speak about her start to die.
It would be unfair if I revealed anything about the plot because it would spoil all the suspense. Trust me, it’s the best underrated anime of all time.
3. Mushoku Tensei
With time, the anime is getting popular though it is still one of the best underrated anime of all time. It is extremely difficult to watch this anime without laughing, and it is all thanks to our main character Rudeus Greyrat. What can you expect from a middle-aged man in the body of a newborn?
There will be comedy effortlessly. Rudeus has been given a second chance at life, as his past life as an average man was nothing but a pain. This new life is like a fairytale come true, where he is free to use magic and do almost everything he thought impossible.
We follow Rudeus on his journey of learning magic, being a prodigy, befriending people, enjoying his life and protecting the world. You can expect intriguing adventures, fantasy, magic, romance, overpowered characters and amazing action sequences!
2. Blue Dragon
Some of you must have felt nostalgia after reading the anime title, right? It is one of the best-underrated anime that deserves praise from all around the world. We are introduced to a world where people have created artificial Shadow powers capable of causing great damage.
There are only seven people in the world with true shadow powers, and Zola and Jiro are in search of them. The mastermind behind the artificial shadow powers has wreaked havoc and is planning to rule the world. Shu is the story’s main character who wishes to protect the world from evil.
After meeting Zola and Jiro, he realizes this need to protect the world. One thing leads to the other, and we learn that Zola and Jiro are genuine shadow users. Above all, Shu is also one of them and has the most powerful shadow power of a Blue Dragon. The adventure, the action, the characters, the story, and almost everything about it is worth praising.
1. Kotaro Lives Alone
Have you heard its name? I bet most of you don’t know about this anime which proves how underrated it is. Kotaro Lives Alone is one of the sweetest and most engaging anime. It introduces a unique idea of a four-year-old living alone in an apartment.
Fearing his abusive father, he hides in a rented apartment and surprisingly does all the house chores without help. On the first day, he gifts his neighbors tissue boxes and shocks everyone revealing himself to be their neighbor. His neighbors were kind and friendly, so they started looking after him and treated Kotaro like a family. Unlike cliche anime, the plot isn’t complicated and has a simple story filled with comedy and sorrow. There is no doubt that Kotaro Lives Alone is the best-underrated anime of all time.
Frequently Asked Questions
We all know that One Piece is one of the most popular and longest-running anime, so it has a huge fan following.
Almost all genres of anime enjoy a good number of fan followers, but Shounen is the most-watched genre.
Conclusion
So, my buddies, this is all about the best-underrated anime of all time. This list has anime from different genres, so pick your favorite genre and start binge-watching it.
