Frieren season 2 Image via Madhouse By Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck Published Jun 29, 2026, 11:55 PM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Anime has been popular for a long time, with classics such as Bleach defining a generation of fans and still impacting the culture of fandom today. However, it's hard to deny the impact of modern anime , with sensations such as Jujutsu Kaisen becoming among the most popular anime titles in history. But even though 2020 was six years ago, fans usually define modern shows by what has come out in the past 5 years.
That is why this list will rank the most perfect anime series that came out in the past five years, from 2021 to 2026. Based on elements such as story, animation, originality, entertainment value, popularity, consistency, fan opinion, critical acclaim, and overall quality , these shows are the must-watch staples of the past five years. New icons will come out, but for now, these are the most perfect modern anime.
The characters stand outside with a blue sky and a tall building in Sonny Boy. Image via Madhouse Almost all the anime on this list are mainstream hits, but one of the lesser-known icons of the past decade is Sonny Boy . This unconventional isekai follows a class of students who mysteriously transport to a bizarre world . As they try to figure out the laws of this world, the students begin developing superpowers , and a natural hierarchy forms as they search for a way back home.
Sonny Boy was one of the last avant-garde anime series, and it impressed in a big way, delivering a stunning season of confusing, yet thought-provoking storytelling. This Lord of the Flies -esque anime delved into the creative realm to deliver a visually distinct and narratively complex anime that can be considered the must-watch hidden gem of the past five years.
Marcille, voiced by Sayaka Senbongi, in Delicious in Dungeon Image via Trigger The fantasy genre is bigger than ever, and series like Delicious in Dungeon prove that. After one of their party members is eaten by a dragon, the rest of the members either leave or plan to head back down. However, with no money, supplies, or food, they decide to cook the monsters they find down there . From adventuring to cooking creatures, there is more mystery that awaits them at the bottom of the dungeon.
Delicious in Dungeon is one of the most distinctive anime series of the 2020s, blending genuine fantasy mystery with fun monster gourmet creations . It has a brilliant use of worldbuilding and monster ecology, which works in favor of its cooking side adventures. No other anime does what Delicious in Dungeon does, and when the next season comes out, it may be the best fantasy anime of all time.
Two boys walking next to each other in The Summer Hikaru Died Image via Netflix Horror anime generally isn't the best, but a history of lackluster shows can produce some hits, such as The Summer Hikaru D…