The Best Anime, Ranked
The best anime of all time, ranked by weighted score across a six-criterion rubric — story, character writing, themes, world-building, animation, and cultural impact. This is the whole Codex, sorted best-first: 226 shows scored on merit, not popularity. That's why the order often disagrees with the crowd — and why the disagreements are worth reading.
The short answer
The best anime on the Anime Codex is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood — 9.25 out of 10, scored across six criteria — story, characters, themes, world-building, animation, and cultural impact. Ranked, not voted. The full top 50 of 226 is below.
Related rankings
FAQ
- What is the best anime?
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ranks #1 on the Anime Codex, scoring 9.25 out of 10 across six weighted criteria — story, characters, themes, world-building, animation, and cultural impact. It's scored on merit, not vote counts.
- How is the Anime Codex ranking calculated?
- Every show is scored 0–10 on six criteria — story, character writing, themes and emotional resonance, world-building and power systems, animation and direction, and cultural impact — then combined into one weighted score. The list is those scores, sorted highest first.
- How is this different from MyAnimeList or AniList?
- MAL and AniList rank by community votes and member counts. The Codex ignores popularity entirely and scores each show against a fixed rubric, which is why its order frequently disagrees with the crowd. The biggest gaps are laid out on the Codex-vs-MAL page.
- How many anime are ranked?
- 226 anime currently carry a full Codex ranking. The list grows as new shows are scored.