Best Animated Series of All Time Ranked – Top Picks You Need to Watch

Searching for the best animated series of all time ranked is something millions of people do every month. Maybe you're building a watchlist, settling a debate with friends, or trying to understand which shows actually earned their legendary status. A solid ranking saves you time, introduces you to hidden gems, and helps you see what separates a good cartoon from a truly great one. This guide breaks down the most consistently ranked animated series, explains why they sit at the top, and helps you figure out what to watch next.

What actually makes an animated series one of the best ever?

Not every popular show earns a spot on "best of all time" lists. Popularity helps, but lasting impact matters more. When critics, fans, and industry professionals consistently name the same shows across decades, that tells you something real. The top-ranked animated series usually share a few qualities:

Strong storytelling characters grow, plots have weight, and the writing respects the audience's intelligence.
Visual craft the animation style serves the story, whether it's hand-drawn, CGI, or mixed media.
Cultural reach the show influenced other creators, spawned references in everyday language, or changed how people think about animation as a medium.
Replay value people rewatch these series years or decades later and still find something new.

A show like Avatar: The Last Airbender checks every one of those boxes. So does Cowboy Bebop. So does The Simpsons in its peak seasons. The pattern is clear: story and craft beat flashy visuals alone.

Which animated series consistently rank at the top?

After looking at rankings from sources like Rolling Stone, IGN, IMDb user ratings, and major animation publications, certain titles appear on nearly every list. Here are the shows that keep showing up:

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)

This Nickelodeon series follows Aang, the last surviving Airbender, as he masters all four elements to stop a war. What sets it apart is how it handles heavy themes grief, imperialism, moral gray areas without ever feeling preachy. The character Zuko's arc alone is one of the best-written redemption stories in any medium, animated or otherwise.

Cowboy Bebop (1998–1999)

Shinichirō Watanabe's space western about a group of bounty hunters is only 26 episodes long, but nearly every one stands on its own as a complete, emotionally resonant story. The jazz soundtrack, cinematic direction, and mature tone made it a gateway anime for Western audiences and a permanent fixture on best-of lists.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009–2010)

Often called the highest-rated anime on IMDb, this series follows two brothers on a quest to restore their bodies after a failed alchemical experiment. It balances action, philosophy, humor, and heartbreak with rare precision. If you want to understand why anime earns a place among the best animated series of all time ranked by global audiences, this is the show to start with.

The Simpsons (1989–present, peak seasons 3–8)

No honest ranking of animated series skips The Simpsons. Seasons 3 through 8 are some of the sharpest comedy writing ever produced for television. The show essentially invented the modern adult animated sitcom and paved the way for everything from South Park to Rick and Morty.

Gravity Falls (2012–2016)

Alex Hirsch's mystery-comedy about twins spending a summer in a strange Oregon town rewards careful attention. Hidden codes, interconnected lore, and genuine emotional stakes made it a cult favorite that transcended its Disney Channel audience. It regularly appears on ranked lists alongside shows with much larger fanbases.

Other titles that appear frequently

Neon Genesis Evangelion reshaped mecha anime and psychological storytelling
Samurai Jack visual storytelling at its finest
Rick and Morty sharp sci-fi comedy with surprisingly deep emotional beats
BoJack Horseman one of the most honest portrayals of depression in any TV show
Dragon Ball Z defined action anime for an entire generation
Futurama clever, heartfelt, and endlessly rewatchable

For a deeper breakdown of shows made specifically for older audiences, our list of top cartoon shows for adults covers more ground on that side of the spectrum.

Why do different rankings disagree with each other?

This is one of the most common frustrations people have when researching the best animated series of all time ranked. One list puts Avatar at number one, another puts Cowboy Bebop there, and a third leads with The Simpsons. The disagreement usually comes down to three things:

What counts as "animated"? Some lists include only Western cartoons. Others blend anime and Western animation together. A few include stop-motion or mixed-media shows. This alone shifts rankings dramatically.
What criteria matter most? A list based on critical acclaim will look different from one based on cultural impact or fan voting. Dragon Ball Z might not top a critics' list, but its influence on global pop culture is undeniable.
Recency bias vs. nostalgia bias. Newer shows benefit from active online fanbases. Older shows benefit from years of accumulated reverence. Neither is wrong, but both skew results.

Understanding these differences helps you use rankings as a starting point rather than gospel.

How does anime compare to Western animation in these rankings?

Anime and Western animation come from different production traditions, storytelling conventions, and audience expectations. Ranking them together can feel like comparing novels to short stories they're related but structurally different. Anime series often run for hundreds of episodes with serialized arcs, while Western cartoons tend toward shorter seasons with episodic or semi-serialized formats.

When both are ranked side by side, shows like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Avatar: The Last Airbender tend to rise because they blend qualities from both traditions. They have the narrative depth common in anime and the accessibility typical of Western animation.

If you're curious about how these two worlds stack up against each other, our comparison of anime and Western animated series digs into the specific differences and overlaps.

What common mistakes do people make when choosing what to watch from these lists?

Seeing a long ranked list of acclaimed shows can be overwhelming. Here are the mistakes that trip people up most often:

Starting from number one and working down. The "best" show on a list might not match your taste. If you love comedy, starting with a heavy drama like Evangelion could turn you off the entire medium. Pick based on genre preference first.
Skipping shows because they look "too kiddy." Series like Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall, and Avatar were made for younger audiences but deal with themes that resonate at any age. Dismissing them means missing some of the best storytelling in animation.
Judging a show by its first episode. Many top-ranked animated series take a few episodes to find their rhythm. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, for example, rushes through its early episodes because it assumes familiarity with the 2003 version. Giving a show three to five episodes is a fairer test.
Ignoring animation style as a storytelling choice. The visual approach of Samurai Jack isn't just "cool looking" it's how the story communicates without words. Treating animation as decoration misses the point.

How do you build a personal watchlist from all-time ranked shows?

The best approach is to treat rankings as a menu, not a syllabus. Here's a practical method:

Pick two or three genres you already enjoy. Action? Comedy? Psychological drama? Start there.
Choose one Western animated series and one anime from those genres. This gives you range without burning out.
Watch at least five episodes before deciding to continue or drop it. As mentioned above, many great shows need a runway.
Keep a simple list of what you've watched and what you thought. This sounds basic, but it helps you spot your own taste patterns and make better picks over time.
Don't force yourself to finish something you aren't enjoying. Life is short. There are enough great shows that you don't need to slog through one that isn't clicking.

Are there design or creative lessons in these shows?

Absolutely. If you work in any creative field illustration, motion graphics, game design, even Bebas Neue style typography projects studying top-ranked animated series is one of the best ways to understand color theory, visual pacing, and composition. Cowboy Bebop uses noir-inspired lighting. Samurai Jack uses negative space like a storyboard masterclass. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse broke every rule about how animated films should look and won an Oscar for it.

Watching great animation with a designer's eye turns entertainment into education.

What should you watch if you're completely new to animation rankings?

If you've never seriously explored the best animated series of all time ranked by critics and fans, here's a simple starting point that covers different styles and tones:

For action and world-building: Avatar: The Last Airbender
For mature, cinematic storytelling: Cowboy Bebop
For comedy with sharp writing: Futurama (seasons 1–5)
For emotional depth: BoJack Horseman
For mystery and hidden details: Gravity Falls

Each of these is widely available on major streaming platforms, and none requires prior knowledge of the genre to enjoy.

Our ranked collection of the best animated series of all time goes deeper into each title with episode guides and context for first-time viewers.

Quick checklist before you start watching

Identify two or three genres you genuinely enjoy don't force yourself into prestige picks.
Sample at least one anime and one Western animated series to compare styles.
Give each show a minimum of five episodes before you judge it.
Look up whether a show has a definitive ending or gets cut short this matters for satisfaction.
Use ranked lists as a filter, not a rulebook. Your taste is the final ranking.
Keep notes on what you watch even a single line per show helps you track preferences.
Share your own list with friends. Talking about what you liked and why sharpens your understanding of what makes animation great.

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