These are some of the best anime of 2022!
2022 has been an incredible year for anime, with a slew of critically acclaimed returning titles such as Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, Mob Psycho III, Attack on Titan Final Season: Part 2, and others, as well as a slew of highly anticipated and promising new titles such as Chainsaw Man & Spy Family.
As the title suggests, we’ll be listing the Top 10 Best New Anime Series of 2022 in this post. We’ll also include some honorable mentions at the end of the post, so make sure to keep reading. Let’s get started!
Best New Anime of 2022
10. Tomodachi Game
High school student Yuuichi Katagiri values his close circle of friends, which includes four classmates: Yutori Kokorogi, Shiho Sawaragi, Makoto Shibe, and Tenji Mikasa. Shiho and Makoto, who were tasked with collecting funds for the upcoming school trip, become estranged from the rest of their class after the funds are stolen.
Soon after, Yuuichi and his friends are duped into meeting and then assaulted by unknown assailants. After waking up, the group is confined in a white room with the controversial figure Manabu-kun, who reveals that one of the five has gathered them together to pay off a 20,000 yen personal debt. To repay the debt, they must play a series of psychological games that will test their friendship and humanity.
Yuuichi and his friends, who are distressed and cut off from the outside world, must collaborate to finish the games. Their seemingly unbreakable bond may soon be shattered into irreparable shards as their hidden feelings and troubled pasts come to light.
It’s similar to squid games but without the killing. I don’t want to give anything away, but Yuuichi is a complete nutcase, and I adore him. If you can’t wait for the next season after finishing the anime, you can read the manga. I highly recommend you watch it.
9. Uncle from Another World
Yousuke “Ojisan” Shibazaki, Takafumi Takaoka’s uncle, has been comatose for 17 years after being hit by a truck. When Ojisan comes to, he starts babbling in a foreign language and reveals that he has been transported to the magical world of Gran Bahamal. Takafumi, his nephew, dismisses his uncle’s claims as ridiculous until an incantation causes a cup of water to float in midair. They come up with the brilliant idea of creating a YouTube channel to showcase Ojisan’s magical abilities.
Takafumi is now in charge of informing Ojisan about everything that has happened during his absence, including the internet, new technology, and, surprisingly, the outcome of the ’90s console war, which was especially upsetting for a die-hard SEGA fan. They use Ojisan’s wisdom from his other world experiences to grow their YouTube channel and deal with online comments and trolls. The journey of this uncle-nephew team promises to be anything but ordinary.
Uncle from Another World is essentially about an uncle who was isekai’d to another world and then returned to Earth with his powers intact. It’s one of the year’s funniest anime (the facial expressions are gold). It went on hiatus after 7 episodes due to the pandemic, but it is now back. I highly recommend watching it.
8. Call of the Night
Tomoyuki Itamura, the director of the critically acclaimed Monogatari Series and Case Study of Vanitas, is back for yet another vampire-themed anime, and he did an incredible job!
Call of the Night follows Kou Yamori, a typical high school student who struggles to understand the concept of love. He stops going to school, develops insomnia, and begins wandering the city at night.
One day, he meets a strange girl named Nazuna Nanakusa, who believes that people stay awake at night because they are unhappy with how they spent their day and cannot sleep until they let go of their inhibitions. She offers to help him sleep, but it turns out she’s a vampire!
Kou now wishes to become a vampire in order to escape his mundane life, but it is not as simple as being bitten by a vampire. According to Nazuna, he must first fall in love with the vampire, and only then will he be bitten by one.
The background composition was flawless, to the point where I made those purple skies my phone wallpaper. The art direction evokes a sense of imagination by allowing us to imagine how alluring the night can appear, and when combined with great chill music from Creepy Nuts, the atmosphere is quite fitting for this anime.
7. Lycoris Recoil
Thanks to the efforts of the Direct Attack syndicate, the number of terrorist acts in Japan has never been lower (DA). The organisation raises orphaned girls as killers to carry out assassinations through their “Lycoris” programme. Takina Inoue is an exceptional Lycoris with a strong sense of purpose and a strong desire for perfection. Unfortunately, a hostage situation puts her patience to the test, and the resulting act of disobedience leads to her transfer from DA. She reluctantly arrives at her new base of operations, LycoReco, a cafe disguised as a cafe, having lost her only home.
Takina’s new coworker, on the other hand, is nothing like she expected. Chisato Nishikigi appears unconcerned about her responsibilities, despite her fame as a Lycoris prodigy. Under the guise of assisting those in need, she drags Takina along on various odd jobs. Takina is even more perplexed when Chisato defeats a group of armed assailants without killing a single one of them. Takina, who feels out of place in DA, longs to be reinstated, but Chisato is determined to show her that life is more than just taking them.
To be honest, when Lycoris Recoil first came out, I assumed it would be one of the subpar anime we get every season, but boy was I wrong.
Even the slice-of-life moments were enjoyable in most episodes. Everything added to the story, and I loved the characters’ chemistry. It is without a doubt one of my favourite anime from 2022, with one of the best casts I’ve seen this year.
6. Bocchi the Rock
Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou, who is socially awkward and lonely, devotes her time to playing the guitar in order to make friends and perform live with a band. Bocchi meets departing drummer Nijika Ijichi on a fateful day, who invites her to join Kessoku Band after their guitarist, Ikuyo Kita, flees before their first performance. Bocchi soon meets her final bandmate, Ryou Yamada, a cool bassist.
Despite their first performance as a group, the girls are inspired by their mutual love of music, and Kita soon joins them. Bocchi and her bandmates found joy in performing and worked hard to improve as musicians while making the most of their brief high school years.
Bocchi the Rock follows Bocchi, an introverted adolescent with severe social anxiety, as she tries to make friends. Bocchi struggles to fit in and make friends throughout the series and learns how to navigate social situations. The series emphasises the value of friendship, demonstrating how even people with seemingly difficult personalities can form meaningful relationships and find acceptance.
5. Spy x Family
Spy x Family tells the story of Twilight, a master of disguise tasked with infiltrating a foreign country by impersonating a married couple and raising a child. Twilight must also protect his family from enemies while juggling his roles as a father and husband. He has no idea that Yor, who is acting as his wife, is a professional assassin known as the “Thorn Princess,” and that his adoptive daughter Anya is an esper who can read people’s minds, and that neither of them intends to reveal their own secrets.
Spy x Family is a thrilling story that follows the adventures of a family as they overcome obstacles and strive to stay together, with a unique combination of action, comedy, and drama.
Spy x Family is one of 2022’s most popular anime, and if you like wholesome anime with lots of action and a lot of funny and adorable moments, you’ll enjoy Spy x Family.
4. The Eminence in Shadow
For as long as he can remember, Minoru Kagenou has been obsessed with becoming as strong as possible, which has led him to engage in all manner of rigorous training. This wish, however, is not motivated by a desire to be noticed by others; rather, Minoru strives to blend in with the crowd. So, during the day, he acts like any other student, but at night, he arm himself with a crowbar and brutally thrashes local biker gangs. Minoru’s dreams appear to be dashed after being involved in a truck accident. In his final moments, he laments his powerlessness—he couldn’t overcome his human limitations no matter how hard he trained.
Instead of dying, Minoru reawakens as Cid, the second child of the noble Kagenou family, in another world where magic is commonplace. With the power he craved finally at his disposal, he takes the moniker “Shadow” and forms Shadow Garden: a group whose sole purpose is to combat the enigmatic Cult of Diablos, an organisation entirely created in Cid’s imagination. However, as Shadow Garden grows in size and power, it becomes clear that the Cult of Diablos is not as fictitious as Cid had assumed.
Now, my opinion may be skewed because The Eminence in Shadow is one of my favourite mangas, and I was very excited about this anime. But don’t get me wrong: The Eminence in Shadow is still one of the best animes this year, and I highly recommend watching it.
3. Summertime Rendering
Since his parents’ deaths, Shinpei Ajiro had been living with the Kofune family and their two daughters, Mio and Ushio. Shinpei returns to his home island after leaving to further his education in Tokyo after Ushio tragically drowns while attempting to save a young girl. His best friend informs him that during the funeral, bruises were discovered around Ushio’s neck, casting doubt on the cause of her death.
Shinpei reconsiders recent events after suspecting a murder, but strange occurrences continue. Mio is reminded of an old folktale about entities known as “Shadows,” which may or may not be entirely fictitious, by the disappearance of people and other unexplainable occurrences. It is said that meeting one’s Shadow foretells one’s demise.
When confronted with the dark side of Hitogashima Island, Shinpei defies fate to fulfil Ushio’s final wish—to protect Mio.
The mc’s abilities are similar to Subaru’s, but he isn’t as wimpy as Subaru was at the start. And if you liked Re:Zero, you’ll probably enjoy Summertime Rendering as well.
Summertime Rendering is one of my favourite animes this year, and I strongly advise you to watch it.
2. Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Dreams are doomed to die in Night City, a futuristic Californian metropolis. David Martinez, a teen from the city’s slums, is attempting to fulfil his mother’s lifelong dream of rising to the top of Arasaka, the world’s leading security corporation. He attends the prestigious Arasaka Academy to achieve this, while his mother works tirelessly to keep their family afloat.
When a street gang altercation destroys David’s life, he discovers Sandevistan cyberware—a prosthetic that grants its wearer superhuman speed. Angry, David implants the device in his back with the intention of exacting revenge on one of his tormentors. As a result, he is expelled from the academy, effectively putting an end to his chances of ever making his mother proud.
When Lucyna “Lucy” Kushinada, a stunning data thief, notices David’s newfound abilities, she offers to collaborate with him, essentially handing him a ticket to salvation. Associating with Lucy, on the other hand, introduces David to the world of Edgerunners, who are cyborg criminals willing to break any law for a reward. Edgerunners frequently lose their lives if the cyberware does not first break their minds; however, David is willing to risk everything in his fight for survival within a corrupt system.
I don’t have much to say about Cyberpunk Edgerunners other than that it completely deserves to be on this list, and I have no doubt that it will be nominated for anime of the year.
1. Chainsaw Man
Denji’s normal adolescent life has been robbed of him, leaving him with nothing but his deadbeat father’s crippling debt. His only companion is his pet chainsaw devil Pochita, with whom he slays devils for money, which inevitably ends up in the yakuza’s pockets. All Denji can think about is living a good, simple life with delicious food and a beautiful girlfriend by his side. However, a yakuza betrayal results in Denji’s brutal, untimely death, shattering all hope of him ever finding happiness.
Surprisingly, a long-forgotten contract allows Pochita to merge with the recently deceased Denji and bestow devil powers on him, transforming him into a hybrid capable of transforming his body parts into chainsaws. Makima, the Public Safety Bureau’s elite devil hunter, takes Denji in and lets him live as long as he obeys her commands. Denji gives everything he has and fights with everything he has to make his naive dreams come true, guided by the promise of a happy life with an attractive woman.
Chainsaw Man is unquestionably the most anticipated anime of all time. Even without the anime, the chainsaw man manga has sold over 20 million copies and has won the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shnen category as well as the Harvey Awards in the Best Manga category in 2021 and 2022.
On the surface, Chainsaw Man may appear simplistic to some, but that does not imply a lack of depth or substance. The plot is enthralling and draws you in; the characters are interesting and lovable, and they propel the story forward.
As someone who has read the manga (though not all of it), seeing my favourite scenes recreated in anime was incredible. The opening and closing themes are among the best I’ve heard in any anime.
No matter what kind of anime you like, I highly recommend giving Chainsaw Man a try; I guarantee it won’t disappoint.
Honorable Mentions
- Blue Lock
- Ya Boy Kongming!
- Ao Ashi
- Do it Yourself!
- Sasaki and Miyano
- Akiba Maid War
- My Dress-Up Darling (Not Really)