It has arrived. The Summer 2025 anime season is underway and, frankly, overwhelming. Seriously, the lineup has almost too many great shows, be it sequels to some of the biggest recent anime or adaptations of highly-regarded source material. Also, you don't need to worry about a lack of variety, as Summer 2025 appears to have every genre covered. Action, romance, comedy, slice of life, harem, isekai, and even horror have representatives, ensuring that most desires should be met to an extent.
Where To Watch The Summer 2025 Anime
My Dress-Up Darling, Dandadan, Kaiju No, 8, and Sakamoto Days are part of the Summer 2025 anime lineup, and here is where you can stream them.
With so many exciting series, and so little time to watch them all, I know how frustrating it can be to narrow down the selection and pick the best anime of Summer 2025, or at least the ones that suit your preferences. Therefore, to try and support that process, let's go through some of the season's highlights.
Updated on July 25, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Two more of the best Summer 2025 anime have been added as recommendations: Kaiju No. 8 and Clevatess.
Here are some criteria and notes:
- The rankings will be revisited repeatedly throughout the season, so the rundown of the greatest Summer 2025 anime will morph to reflect any developments.
- The current cutoff date for episodes/anime to be considered is July 24, 2025.
- Only anime, be it new shows or sequels, that debuted in Summer 2025 will be considered. No Spring 2025 leftovers (Witch Watch) or eternal anime (Detective Conan or One Piece).
- Only standard TV shows that follow the 12/13 episode per cour format. No movies (Chainsaw Man the Movie: Reze Arc), ONAs (Takopi's Original Sin and Lord of Mysteries), or OVAs. That said, those two ONAs are fantastic and well worth a watch. Be warned that Takopi's Original Sin covers very heavy themes.
- MyAnimeList scores are included as a reference, but they are not the defining factor for the rankings.
12 Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 (MAL: 7.96)
A Solid Start To What Should Be A Solid Sequel
Kaiju No. 8
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2024 - 2025-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Kaijuu 8-gou
- Studio
- Production I.G
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Naoya Matsumoto
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Kaiju No. 8 will probably not be the best anime of Summer 2025, but it could be among the most entertaining. After all, who does not love some good old-fashioned big monster action? The sequel has not done anything too extraordinary so far, as its main focus has been on reshuffling its cards by installing characters in new environments.
Still, season 2 has already produced a fun kaiju battle featuring, basically, Godzilla, all the while throwing Gen into the limelight. Kafka has not had much to do, but he will be a major player as he tries to prove that he can be a valuable addition to the First Division. With the manga ending around the same day as season 2's commencement, the anime's future is a bit uncertain at this point. Hopefully, we will get a full adaptation, as there is still plenty of content that needs to be covered.
11 Call Of The Night Season 2 (MAL: 8.21)
Summer 2025's Best Vampire Anime (And Just A Really Cool Show)
Call of the Night
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2022 - 2025-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Yofukashi no Uta
- Studio
- Liden Films
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Kotoyama
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
Call of the Night is a vibe. I mean, the story is pretty weird when viewed in isolation. Kou is a teenager who, due to suffering from insomnia, goes on midnight walks, and he ends up meeting an enigmatic vampire named Nazuna. Kou wants to become a vamp, but for the transformation to stick, he needs to fall in love with Nazuna. Unfortunately, neither of them understands love, so they form a cute but weird dynamic that is somewhere between platonic friendship and romance.
Putting aside the vamp culture aspect and even the "falling in love" story beat, Call of the Night is essentially a pretty wholesome slice of life romance and coming-of-age story, and the latter covers both Kou and Nazuna. They are both constantly evolving and exploring their growing feelings (or lack of them), and season 2 has so far built nicely on its predecessor.
10 Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 2 (MAL: 8.23)
Good Old Reliable
Dr. Stone
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 5, 2019
- Studio
- TMS Entertainment, 8PAN, Die4Studio
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Riichiro Inagaki
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
Nowadays, Dr. Stone is nothing if not reliable. To be honest, I find it somewhat difficult to get too excited about a new part in the series, just because surprises are not a big part of the Dr. Stone experience. The shonen anime simply delivers a consistent mix of solid humor, splashes of action, scientific breakthroughs (at a breakneck speed), and an ever-expanding scope that reached global status in the current Science Future season.
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Dr. Stone seldom misses the mark, but the only people who are watching the current cour are die-hard fans who, presumably, will be sticking around until the end. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of them, but I can hardly recommend the Summer 2025 season to the uninitiated.
That said, Dr. Stone is, overall, a great shonen anime that everyone should watch, particularly if you want a protagonist who is all brain and no brawn.
9 Gachiakuta (MAL: 8.09)
Summer 2025's Exciting New Fantasy Anime
Gachiakuta
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 6, 2025
- Studio
- Bones Film
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator(s)
- Kei Urana
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
One of the more highly anticipated newcomers of the Summer 2025 season, Gachiakuta has an intense opening episode that does a brilliant job of setting up the world and establishing Rudo, the protagonist, as a sympathetic figure. In this universe, society is divided into the elite, who live in the wealthy side of town, and descendants of criminals, who live in the slums.
If the latter are caught breaking the law, they are sentenced to death and dumped in the Abyss. Even among the have-nots, Rudo leads a particularly terrible life, due to having scarred hands and being the son of a murderer. Long story short, he is framed for a crime he did not commit and flung into the Abyss, all the while swearing revenge against those who damned him.
Although still too early to definitively shower Bones Film with praise, Gachiakuta seems set to be a pretty great adaptation, with top-notch animation that does justice to the manga. The anime laid the groundwork seamlessly for this universe's social climate, and Rudo's blight makes him nearly impossible to dislike.
8 New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (MAL: 8.07)
The Most Irreverent Summer 2025 Anime
New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2025 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Tokyo MX, Sun TV, BS Nippon TV
- Studio
- Trigger
- Streaming Service(s)
- Amazon Prime Video
They needed to wait a long while to make their comeback, but anime's worst angels are back and more self-centered than ever, and we would not have them any other way. Newcomers should start with the original 2010 series because it is fantastic and directly leads into the Summer 2025 sequel; that said, the latter should be easy enough to follow since, well, its main priority is to be as absurd and hilarious as possible.
Panty and Stocking are still embracing Earth's vices, meaning they have pretty much no chance of making it back into Heaven. Garterbelt kind of helps, while Briefers is the ultimate "fan" (to use a nice term). The first episode went all-out in its ridiculousness, including throwing out a kaiju-esque battle that could have made Godzilla proud. After all these years, New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt proves that this universe still has plenty of mileage in it.
7 Clevatess (MAL: 7.91)
A Great Dark Fantasy Anime
Clevatess
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 2, 2025
- Network
- AT-X
- Writers
- Yūji Iwahara, Keigo Koyanagi
- Japanese Title
- Clevatess: Majuu no Ou to Akago to Shikabane no Yuusha
- Studio
- Lay-duce
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator(s)
- Yūji Iwahara
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Summer 2025 has a surprising love for dark fantasy, with quite a few series fitting the subgenre. I think Clevatess might just be the pick of the bunch, and the anime takes a potentially wacky premise – a demon and human hero raise a baby – and creates magic. Clevatess is the powerful Demon King who, after defeating a group of heroes, decides to eradicate humanity. However, he ends up adopting a baby, who will serve as humanity's final chance to save itself. Reviving one of the heroes as a zombie slave, Clevatess sets out on a journey to learn if humanity is worth keeping around, and he will require a lot of convincing.
Alicia, the hero turned zombie, is one of the best new characters of Summer 2025. She has been put through hell so far, but she refuses to lose her sense of self or righteousness. All her scenes have been fantastic so far. Clevatess is an interesting figure as well, as he has a well-written personality while still very much coming across like a force of nature.
6 Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus (MAL: 8.39)
Good Writing, Fun Characters, And A Touch Of Mystery
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 5, 2025
- Japanese Title
- Seishun Buta Yarou wa Santa Claus no Yume wo Minai
- Studio
- CloverWorks
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator(s)
- Hajime Kamoshida
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Quickfire dialogue, puberty syndrome, and Sakuta being the ultimate MC, Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus should offer exactly what fans of this series have come to expect. So far, it is too early to say if the core mystery will be great or not, but Rascal Does Not Dream has historically shone the brightest when venturing into an almost slice of life routine that enables Sakuta to bounce off a bunch of complex characters (mainly girls).
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The Summer 2025 sequel showcases this series' strengths instantly, blending sharp and relatively realistic discourse with both humor and dramatic depth. Mai and Sakuta are still one of the best couples in anime, while characters like Kaede and Miori bring plenty of additional charm. To be honest, this season's first arc was probably the weakest and most unfocused in the franchise so far, although it was still enjoyable. Hopefully, things will only improve from here.
5 The Summer Hikaru Died (MAL: 8.21)
Summer 2025's Best Horror Anime
The Summer Hikaru Died
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2025 - 2025-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Japanese Title
- Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
- Studio
- CygamesPictures
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Mokumokuren
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
Finally, we have a proper horror anime! Along with rarely receiving series, the genre has a history of producing disappointing adaptations that fail to capture the horrifying magic of their source material. The Summer Hikaru Died should be better than most, partially thanks to Cygamespictures, a studio that is on a very impressive run.
Based on a beloved manga, The Summer Hikaru Died is a slow-paced thriller that touches upon unrequited love, isolation, codependence, and grief. Yoshiki knows that his best friend, Hikaru, died months ago, and that an unexplainable entity is masquerading as him. However, Yoshiki is willing to play along so he can keep a version of Hikaru around.
Yoshiki and "Hikaru" have a fascinating dynamic that is both endearing and terrifying, with the latter resembling an excitable child who is experiencing life for the first time. Hikaru is also a threat. A big, big threat.
4 My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 (MAL: 8.43)
Summer 2025's Best Romance Anime Sequel
My Dress-Up Darling
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2022 - 2025-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru
- Studio
- CloverWorks
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Shinichi Fukuda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Introducing the world to the best-ever girl, Marin, and a contender for the best-ever boy, Gojo, My Dress-Up Darling was a phenomenon in 2022, and CloverWorks took its time to ensure that a sequel would live up to the hype. More than anything, season 2 feels refreshingly familiar, with the Summer 2025 anime immediately emphasizing Marin and Gojo's cute banter that brings out the best in both of them. Sure, the former tends to hog the limelight, but the latter is equally great a character; more importantly, they are better together.
Along with plenty of cosplay photoshoots that venture into fanservice territory (while making complete sense within the context of the story), My Dress-Up Darling seems set to push its core relationship more to the forefront, which is a very wise move.
3 Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 (MAL: 8.74)
Summer 2025's Funniest Comedy Anime
Grand Blue Dreaming
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2018 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- TBS, MBS
- Directors
- Atsuko Tonomizu, Yoshihisa Matsumoto, Tarou Iwasaki, Nanako Shimazaki, Ryuta Kawahara, Takashi Kobayashi
- Japanese Title
- Grand Blue
- Studio
- Zero-G
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Kenji Inoue
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
OK, your mileage may vary with this one, but I cannot help but bust a gut whenever this anime is on-screen. A rare college comedy, Grand Blue Dreaming can be vulgar, stupid, trope-ish, and excessive; just to be clear, none of those descriptors are criticisms.
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What's the story? Well, Iori goes to college and joins a diving club because he lives with family members who specialize in that business. Also, he drinks a lot, gets naked regularly with the boys, and unleashes the funniest facial expressions since Great Teacher Onizuka. Grand Blue Dreaming is not particularly deep, but it is relentlessly hilarious.