20 Best Anime for Beginners on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu & Funimation (2023)

Last updated on March 28th, 2023 at 11:07 pm

Anime is gaining a wave of popularity around the world, with many people trying it for the first time. But among the huge collection of anime, some are decidedly more complicated than others, be it for their complex storyline or exaggerated themes or even overwhelming length. Not all anime are fit for beginners. So, we’ve gathered 20 best anime for beginners on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu & Funimation.

For this list, we’ve tried to take at least one or two from every genre to suit your specific taste. These anime here are all addictive with interesting plots that will hook anyone to it. Now, let’s take a look at the 20 best anime for beginners on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu & Funimation.

20 Best Anime for Beginners on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu & Funimation

Best Anime for Beginners on Netflix

5) Ouran High School Host Club

Starting off this list with a comedy, we have Ouran High School Host Club for you. The plot starts with Haruhi Fujioka, a working class girl with an androgynous appearance who is in the prestigious Ouran High on scholarship.

One day when she stumbles in a room and accidentally breaks a million-yen vase, she finds herself appointed as a host by the host club members, charming rich heiresses to pay off the price of the vase.

4) Haikyuu!!

Considered to be one of the greatest sports anime of all time that significantly increased the popularity of indoor volleyball in Japan, Haikyuu!! is undoubtedly among the best anime for beginners.

The story focuses on Shoyo Hinata, a short boy who dreams of becoming a volleyball player. In a sport where height is advantageous, Hinata is joined by Tobio Kageyama, the genius setter with no communication skill, and a team of passionate players at Karasuno High School.

3) Demon Slayer

When Tanjiro Kamado returns home to find his whole family slaughtered and his last remaining sister being turned into a demon, he vows to find Muzan Kibutsuji, the man responsible.

With Nezuko, his demon sister whose love for her family and humanity overpowers her demonic appetite, Tanjiro becomes a Demon Slayer and sets out to eradicate the demons. Joining him are the rowdy Inosuke and the crybaby Zenitsu.

2) Death Note

Death Note is one of the most popular anime in the whole world and for good reason. An intriguing plot, dynamic pacing and sharp characters make this a perfect anime for beginners. The story revolves around the eponymous Death Note: a book that kills anyone whose name is written on it.

When bored Shinigami Ryuk drops his spare Death Note on Earth, it’s found by Light Yagami, a bright teenager with passionate morality.

As Light uses the Death Note to kill criminals around the world, the ruthless killer Kira is born. But justice is never far away as the world’s best detective, L, takes on the investigation to find Kira.

1) Spy x Family

When Westalia’s greatest spy, Twilight is given the mission to go undercover in Ostania and stop politician Donovan Desmond, he takes on the identity of Loid Forger. As Loid adopts the orphan Anya and marries Yor, he has no clue that his new daughter is an esper and his new wife an assassin.

Spy x Family is the newest in this list and the perfect anime for beginners. The interesting plot, lovable characters and spot-on comedy make it a fan-favorite.

Best Anime for Beginners on Crunchyroll

5) K-On!

For beginners, a fun Slice of Life anime could be ideal, and when speaking about fun anime, we can’t but mention K-On! Focusing on a high school girlband, K-On! begins with Yui Hirasawa, a lazy girl who joins the Light Music Club thinking it is something else. 

But after the members of the club play her a song, she’s instantly charmed and joins the club as a guitarist and vocalist. This is the beginning of the girlband, K-On.

4) Naruto

An orphan boy whom everyone hates in his village dreams of becoming the Hokage, the most respected person in the village. On his journey to fulfill his seemingly impossible dream, he finds live-long friendships and some enemies that is upto destroying his home.

Naruto is one of the most beloved anime in the world and an icon in the shounen genre. Its popularity is an evidence of how enjoyable it is, and that’s why we recommend it for beginners.

3) That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

The isekai sub genre has plenty of anime under its belt but few does it as good as That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime. The anime is about a middle-aged man who is reincarnated into a fantasy world as a slime.

Though it sounds like an unappealing prospect, he finds that there’s an advantage to being a slime. He can consume everything in his way to become stronger. 

2) Dr. Stone

On an unassuming day, the whole world is petrified by a sudden bright light. Three thousand years pass by, turning the world back to the stone age. A teenage scientist, Senku Ishigami, thaws himself out with his wit.

Eventually breaking his friends out of their petrified states, Senku sets out to do the difficult task of bringing science back into the stone age.

1) Your Lie in April

This entry here is a beautiful story that will tug at your heartstrings. A heartfelt story with reasonable length, this is the perfect anime for beginners. It tells the story of Kousei Arima, a genius pianist who cannot hear music since his mother’s death.

Then he meets Kaori Miyazono like a gust of fresh wind. The cheerful, aggravating, free-spirited Kaori awakens the love Kousei has for music and helps him battle his trauma. But tragedy awaits their story.

Best Anime for Beginners on Hulu

5) Sailor Moon

The kind-hearted but dim-witted Usagi Tsukino’s uninteresting life suddenly becomes interesting when she saves a black cat with a crescent shape on its forehead. Luna, the cat, informs her that Usagi is Sailor Moon, a celestial warrior destined to protect the world.

Along with the rest of the Sailor Guardians, Usagi has to the lost princess of the Moon Kingdom and stop the world’s destruction.

4) My Hero Academia

80% of the population has superpowers called Quirks. The society now has Heroes to protect the civilians from Villains. Izuku Midoriya, a meek teenager dreams of becoming a Hero like his idol All Might but he doesn’t possess a Quirk.

When circumstances lead to Midoriya receiving the all-powerful Quirk, One For All from All Might, he finally gets the chance to fulfill his dreams.

3) Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket is one of the most popular and revered shoujo manga of all time and for good reason. While it possesses the typical romantic elements of the shoujo genre, it has a unique and solid plot and an emotional core that’ll move anyone’s heartstrings.

The story is of Tohru Honda, who comes to live with two of her classmates, Kyo and Yuki Sohma, and their cousin Shigure. Though everything seems normal with the Sohmas, they have the supernatural ability to turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac if hugged by the opposite gender.

2) Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War

Kaguya Sama: Love Is War is often considered as the “Death Note of romance”. It’s a hilarious tale of the student council of the prestigious Shuichin Academy. The president, Miyuki Shirogane and the vice-president, Kaguya Shinomiya are in love with each other.

But neither is willing to confess first and wants the other to bend due to their twisted ego. This leads to some exaggerated manipulation and heart-pounding moments between the two, made even funnier by their fellow council members: Chika Fujiwara and Yu Ishigami.

1) Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan became a global phenomenon upon its release for its grim premise, ruthless violence and intriguing characters. It’s considered one of the greatest anime of all time and the Part 3 of its 4th season currently holds the highest ratings on MyAnimeList.

The story is based in a world where humanity has caged themselves behind three huge walls to protect themselves from the humongous man-eating Titans. Young Eren Yeager’s life is destroyed the day Titans break the wall to invade his village and he sees his mother getting eaten in front of him.

Best Anime for Beginners on Funimation

5) Hyouka

Houtarou Oreki is a dispassionate but brilliant young man who just wants to get by in life with spending as little energy as possible. But when he joins the literature club, his gray life suddenly gets a splash of color.

With his fellow members, Eru Chitonda, Satoshi Fukabe and Mayaka Ibara, Oreki encounters many mysteries in his everyday life. Hyouka is a highly enjoyable Slice of Life show, made more interesting by its little mysteries and characters.

4) Mob Psycho 100

It’s the lamest looking characters that turn out to be the coolest. Shigeo Kageyama aka Mob is an introverted boy with no friends. He looks boring and lame but unknown to everyone, he’s actually a very strong psychic and possesses tremendous power.

The anime is a blend of comedy and jaw-dropping action. Mob’s rage scenes are among the best in anime, and it’s an amazing anime for beginners.

3) Jujutsu Kaisen

A recent mega-hit, Jujutsu Kaisen starts with Yuji Itadori meeting Megumi Fushiguro, a strange boy looking for a cursed object in Itadori’s school at night. The cursed object is a finger of Sukuna, the King of Curses.

When attacked by stray curses in the school, Itadori unknowingly consumes the finger, unwittingly becoming the vessel of Sukuna. Filled with gorgeous action scenes and a gripping plot, Jujutsu Kaisen is still quite new and the perfect anime for beginners.

2) Steins;Gate

Steins;Gate centers around an overdramatic and eccentric scientist, Rintaro Okabe and his science club members. While attending a science lecture, Okabe witnesses the death of the young brilliant scientist, Kurisu Makise.

However, Kurisu comes to his club the next day, very much alive. When they discover that the club’s microwave invention is actually a time traveling device, they begin to work on how to improve it. But Okabe soon discovers that misery is awaiting his fate which is intricately connected with the time travel.

1) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Holding the title of the highest rated anime on MyAnimeList, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is one of the best anime of all time. Its plot revolves around the Elric brothers: Edward and Alphonse. As children, the brothers tried to perform human transmutation to bring their mother back.

But it backfired, costing Edward his arm and leg, and Alphonse his whole physical body. Now they look for a way to get their bodies back as State Alchemist. But something sinister is working in the shadows of the nation.

With our last entry, we conclude the 20 best anime for beginners on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu & Funimation. If you’re a newcomer to anime, check at least one of these out and we’re sure you’ll like it. And if you do get hooked to anime, make sure to visit Otakus’ Notes for many exciting anime-related content.

Do small things with great love.

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Anamika Das

Anamika loves words and stories and putting them to pages. She also loves anime, manga, books, movies and everything fantasy. She has been a fan of anime since childhood and her admiration for it only grew with years. Her passion for writing is even more elevated by writing about the things she loves.