7 Best Summer 2025 Anime, Ranked (So Far)

While kept to a minimum, minor spoilers will be unavoidable.

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 summer 2025 anime dandadan my dress up darling Gachiakuta

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.

Here are some criteria and notes:

The rankings will be revisited repeatedly throughout the season, so the rundown of the best Summer 2025 anime will morph to reflect any developments.
The current cutoff date for episodes/anime to be considered is July 7, 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. 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. That said, be warned that Takopi’s Original Sin covers very heavy themes.

7

Gachiakuta

Summer 2025’s Best Dark Fantasy Anime

Gachiakuta

Release Date: July 6, 2025
Network: TBS
Directors: Fumihiko Suganuma

One of the more highly anticipated newcomers of Summer 2025, 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.

6

The Summer Hikaru Died

Summer 2025’s Best Horror Anime

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.

5

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus

Great Writing, Fun Characters, And A Touch Of Mystery

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.

4

Dandadan Season 2

Summer 2025’s Big Shonen Sequel

Dandadan was among the best anime of 2024, setting a high bar for a follow-up. As awesome as its predecessor was, there is always a slight risk that a sequel will fail to live up to expectations or suffer a slump due to not being the exciting new kid on the block. Now, I might be biased because I adore Dandadan, but the Summer 2025 season has hit the ground running, building beautifully on the foundation laid by season 1.

The sequel wastes no time in getting down to the action, instantly throwing Momo, Ken, and Jin into a life-or-death situation involving a peculiar family and a massive UMA. Dandadan‘s brilliance partially rests in its ability to balance every genre under the sun, and season 2 should continue that juggling act.

3

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2

Summer 2025’s Best Romance Anime Sequel

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.

2

Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2

Summer 2025’s Funniest Comedy Anime

Grand Blue Dreaming

Release Date: July 14, 2018
Network: TBS, MBS
Directors: Atsuko Tonomizu, Yoshihisa Matsumoto, Tarou Iwasaki, Nanako Shimazaki, Ryuta Kawahara, Takashi Kobayashi

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.

1

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity

Summer 2025’s Best New Anime

While already available in some regions, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity‘s North American Netflix debut is scheduled for September 7, 2025.

Is this premature? Maybe, but The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity could not have gotten to a better start. Saka Mikami’s manga is one of the most beloved romances of the current decade, so even a decent adaptation would have instantly inspired pitchforks. However, CloverWorks seems to be completely up to the task, delivering gorgeous animation, brilliant voice acting, and perfect pacing. This Summer 2025 anime has to be great.

Despite being next to each other, Kikyo and Chidori High Schools might as well exist in separate worlds, with the former housing elite girls who look down on the latter’s delinquents. However, that does not stop Chidori’s Rintaro and Kikyo’s Kaoruko from hitting it off, causing sparks to fly in a meet-cute that is borderline too adorable. They might have to cross a few lines and barriers, but these two are made for each other.

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