10 Underrated Anime Series From the Last 5 Years, Ranked (2024)

Plenty of fun and interesting anime have come out in the past five years. Some such anime include Violet Evergarden, which is renowned for its beautiful visuals, Lookism, a Korean anime known to delve into insightful topics in a humorous way, and Cyberpunk Edgerunners, which deals with a somber story. Many others have also been praised for their fantastical elements, ability to tell a cohesive story, and their all-around fun-to-watch action scenes.

However, while some of the greatest anime have earned praise and gotten their proper acknowledgments, some other anime with unique stories, interesting characters, and powerful moments have slipped through the cracks, earning only a fraction of the same acknowledgment given to the other anime. Not to mention, sometimes it’s difficult to navigate the anime world when it’s filled with the same praised content, leaving little room for other anime that could have been just as popular. Here’s a guide to the overshadowed anime that deserves some of the spotlight.

12 Vinland Saga

Directed by Shūhei Yabuta

In Vinland Saga, Thorfinn, a young Viking warrior, plots vengeance against his father’s murderer. He firsthand experiences and sees the horrors of war in the Viking world, fighting closely with the man who killed his father in the hopes of exacting revenge one day. However, his quest for vengeance is met with various complications, as he questions his strength, morality, and honor.

What makes Vinland Saga an easy and fun watch is its breathtaking animation which brings to life the Viking world in remarkable detail. What’s more, it juxtaposes peaceful landscapes with thrilling combat sequences, which will surely immerse viewers in its story. Vinland Saga has been praised for its character development, as Thorfinn becomes more introspective as he gets more involved in various conflicts and is forced to face the consequences of his decisions.

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11 Golden Kamuy

Directed by Shigeaki Kubo

Anime fans who want a unique blend of history and fiction will surely enjoy Golden Kamuy. Set in the early 20th century, Golden Kamuy follows the story of Saichi Sugimoto, a former soldier who is desperately looking for the hidden stash of Ainu gold. Along with his companion Asirpa, Sugimoto embarks on a quest to locate the bodies of 24 escaped convicts, each of whom bears a portion of the map leading to the hidden gold, tattooed on their backs.

Golden Kamuy is a gripping anime due in large to its depiction of Ainu culture, which is not often mentioned in mainstream media. Also, Golden Kamuy features a lot of gritty and realistic scenes of survival, as the wilderness in Hokkaido is known to be harsh and unforgiving. From bears to terrifying assassins, Sugimoto encounters a lot of dangerous enemies to find the hidden gold.

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10 'MARS RED' (2021)

Directed by Kouhei Hatano and Shinya Sadamitsu

It’s the year 1932. MARS RED follows Major Yoshinobu Maeda as he investigates and assesses vampires, who have become a threat to society. To Major Maeda, every vampire has the potential to become a threat. Some vampires are recruited as agents to help out their cause, but only after assessment by Maeda. Essentially, Maeda is in charge of finding the vampires hiding in Tokyo, either apprehending or disposing of the vampires thereafter.

More than anything, MARS RED is a vampire anime that has a distinct and beautiful art style that is appealing to the eye. This beautiful art style matches the poetic storytelling that is MARS RED. Although this anime is more of a slow burn, it quickly picks up the pace of every episode, leaving the viewer sometimes emotional with its storytelling. MARS RED is a unique story about vampires living in society, where vampires are seen purely as threats to society as opposed to allies.

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9 'Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence' (2023)

Directed by Sumie Noro

Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence is a lighthearted and wholesome anime that delves into the relationship between the two leads the show is named after. Pastor Lawrence is insistent on keeping Saint Cecilia safe and protecting her. He is reserved in every way possible, almost in a distant way, but this doesn’t make him any less friendly. Meanwhile, Saint Cecilia is the opposite of what a saint is supposed to be—at least, behind closed doors. While she is reserved when meeting people to listen to their thoughts, she is much more of an outgoing and somewhat rambunctious character.

This anime is full of vibrant colors and can easily lift anyone’s mood just upon watching it. This show is for those looking for an easy-going anime with plenty of humor, and it’s especially good for those who simply want a relaxing time. Think slice-of-life. The characters break the archetypes that are expected of them, like Saint Cecilia, who is only reserved professionally, but then she goes ahead and acts overly silly and clumsy.

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8 'Plunderer' (2020)

Directed by Hiroyuki Kanbe

Every person is born to count something specific. If the count goes down and reaches zero, the person is sent to the abyss. However, what happens in the abyss remains a mystery to everyone with a positive count number. Those with higher numbers have a certain superiority over others. Hina, a young girl, has to find the Legendary Ace after her mother is dragged to the abyss, though she’s not sure why or if this Legendary Ace is real.

Plunderer starts in a somber mood, starting with a child’s mother dying. At the beginning, it sets up the mood and expectations for the show, which is that death will always be waiting, and this post-apocalyptic world is a life-or-death situation. This show is also infused with tons of humor, making it a great watch. It's also very similar to the anime One Piece with its supernatural and humor-filled plot. However, while most short anime have a slow start, Episode 1 of Plunderer starts off extremely strong, igniting excitement in viewers as new information is revealed at a quick pace and the real hero of the show comes to light.

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7 'After School Dice Club' (2019)

Directed by Kenichi Imaizumi

After School Dice Club follows a group of teenage girls who spend their time playing tabletop games. However, Miki, the main character, begins to have her doubts. Her friend group goes through a test of strength when Miki’s friends discuss their dreams and plans for the future. Not knowing what she wants for herself, Miki prefers things to stay the same, and she goes through a turmoil of emotions wanting what’s best for her friends and for things to remain the same.

Another slice-of-life anime, After School Dice Club, is worth the watch for those looking for a feel-good, wholesome anime. It has relatable characters who go through very realistic fears and anxieties that pop up in friend groups all the time; as a result, After School Dice Club can be very inspiring and motivating to the average viewer. Although it has a cutesy art style, it also deals with very real topics, making it the most relatable anime on the list.

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6 'Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari' (2023)

Directed by Ryuichi Kimura

Tsukumogami are spirits that enter the human realm and possess objects. Hyouma Kunato is one of many Saenome tasked with sealing away the tsukumogami. The Saenome are entrusted by the government to take care of spirits like the Tsukumogami. Although it’s encouraged to deal with the spirits as peacefully as possible, due to the past trauma of losing his own siblings to the tsukumogami, Hyouma involves conflict when sealing the spirits away. Because he refuses to resort to peaceful talk, Hyouma is sent to live with the tsukumonogami, who live in the human realm as a family.

Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari is a horror anime that takes on the supernatural. It is an anime that focuses on the revenge of Hyouma as he learns to live and coexist with the tsukumogami, who are not all bad spirits. The plot itself is good and interesting, as it involves a lot of character development, especially on Hyouma’s side. It deals with an interesting cast of characters that it’s hard not to love the Nagatsuki family, which are the family of tsukumogami. Additionally, the action scenes are well-choreographed, making for hyped-up action scenes and a fun story.

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5 'Darwin’s Game' (2020)

Directed by Yoshinobu Tokumoto

Kaname Sudo is pulled into a dangerous mobile game when a friend calls for help. He learns the hard way when he is attacked by a man dressed as a panda mascot on the subway and is saved by a classmate who is involved in the game. For Kaname and many others, this is a game of life and death, and Kaname has to learn quickly or die.

Darwin’s Game maintains an air of mystery and suspense. It deals with quick and intense action scenes that make the viewer tell who will survive and who will die, especially when characters have special and unique abilities. Another great thing about this underrated anime is that it keeps in mind those who favor the relentless gore that comes with fighting a life-or-death battle, and it doesn’t shy toward censorship. Rather, it uses it to tell the story of relentless and excitable killers, creating a diverse cast of sinister personalities.

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4 'Ōoku: The Inner Chambers' (2023)

Directed by Fuminori Kaneko

A plague known as redface pox ravages a small village. One woman believes it is a curse bestowed upon the village, contracted by bringing her dead son back into the village after a vicious bear attack. Soon, this plague spreads to other regions, infecting only the men, and ultimately decimating the male population in the process. Women had to take up all the labor, and marriage became a privilege, with women only having children through the means of sex with male concubines. The story follows the seventh reign of the Tokugawa dynasty. Mizuno, a young samurai, joins the Ōoku at Edo Castle to help his family, ultimately rising through the ranks.

The Netflix anime Ōoku has a unique premise, one that is both interesting and worthwhile watching. It maintains an interesting narrative storytelling, where the narrator introduces the concept briefly while maintaining the interest of the audience. The art style of Ōoku is reminiscent of the style seen in older anime, and the dulled-out colors and schemes really add to the style of storytelling being told, contributing more so to the rather dire setting. Additionally, Mizuno, as one of the main characters, is more boisterous and confident than any other, making for a fun character in a solemn era.

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3 'Stars Align' (2019)

Directed by Kazuki Akane and Yuuichi Takahashi

Stars Align follows the potential decimation of the boy’s soft tennis club. Toma, a student, tries to convince new student Maki to join the tennis club due to his impeccable athletic skill and speed. The two negotiate a deal, and Maki joins the club, learning about his team and the club in the process.

Stars Align is another short anime that focuses primarily on sports, although, like other anime on the list, it has a slow start. The pace does begin to pick up once Maki joins the club. It quickly reveals Maki’s motivations and trauma, introducing heavy topics about abuse and financial struggles, among other things, making it a lighthearted anime that delves into deeper topics. Overall, Stars Align is worth watching, especially with its simple yet appealing art style.

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2 'Tomodachi Game' (2022)

Directed by Hirofumi Ogura

Yuichi is a hardworking student making a living by delivering newspapers, especially with the upcoming field trip in his class. Due to a promise made with inseparable friends—or so Yuichi thought—Yuichi works extra hard for additional funds for the school trip, though the money ends up stolen. One night, Yuichi and his friends are lured out to a location, where they are then kidnapped and held against their will to play a game to relieve one friend’s debt. However, Yuichi is forced to suspect a traitor is among them when they begin failing some of the easiest questions in the first round.

Tomodachi Game is an anime about the strength of friendship and how fragile friendships can become when the element of distrust is introduced. The slice-of-life anime quickly jumps into the plot with minimal character development, which adds a mysterious and suspenseful element to it. This creates a sense of intrigue for the viewers who want to know more about the characters and the game that they are playing, leading to a yearning to learn more about the show itself.

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1 'My Roommate is a Cat' (2019)

Directed by Kaoru Suzuki

Mikazuki is an author who believes the world is miserable. His main interests include reading, and proving himself to be an introvert who doesn’t go out. He is a character who finds solace in being by himself, preferably in a quiet place. One day while visiting his parents’ graves, Mikazuki is visited by a cat who is interested in the salmon that he brought for his parents as an offering. After getting a story idea of a murderous cat, Mikazuki brings the stray cat home, and the two live together, inspiring one another and helping the other live a much more happy and fulfilling life.

My Roommate is a Cat is a short and cute anime that shows the relationship between a shy man and his angry-looking cat. It’s a nice slice-of-life anime that examines the life shared between an owner and his pet cat. More interestingly, the show is cut into two parts: the first part is from Mikazuki’s point of view into an average day of his life as an author and taking care of his cat. The next half of the episode is usually from the point of view of the cat, who reveals its train of thought when doing odd things, such as bringing its bowl of food to Mikazuki’s door. More than anything, My Roommate is a Cat is a wholesome show that viewers will love to sit down and watch.

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