Anirban Bhattacharya
Kids are one of the biggest consumers of animated stuff. So, it is only normal to have much-animated content geared towards them. Anime is one of the many media who produce a variety of very different shows. Such a plethora of options might make it a bit harder for you to find stuff for kids since many anime are on the borderline and have a few adult stuff in them. But don’t worry we got you covered. Here’s a list of some of the most popular and top anime for kids. The best thing about them is that most of them can be watched by adults too without getting bored. The list includes anime kids shows and movies. You can watch several of these best kids anime on Netflix, Hulu or Crunchyroll. So, enjoy! (Don’t forget to mention your favorite pick in the comments).
13. Pokemon (1997)
Let’s kickstart the list with one of the most popular anime series for kids, ‘Pokemon’. ‘Pokemon’ was a huge hit in the late nineties through to the early 2000s. It has still got a huge loyal fanbase. The series revolves around monsters know as Pokemon who have unique abilities depending on their species. Humans keep these monsters as a pet and use them to fight tournaments (classic humans) which are quite popular worldwide. The anime follows the story of Ash who wants to become one of the best Pokemon trainers in the world by defeating Gym leaders and winning tournaments. Joining him on his journey is Pikachu his favorite Pokemon and best friend.
12. Majo no Takkyuubin (1989)
Well, this is the first Studio Ghibli anime movie that I have put in this list. We will be seeing a lot more of their stuff in this list due to their family-friendly and entertaining content. ‘Majo no Takkyubin’ is a 1 hour 45 minutes adventure, fantasy anime movie. The movie is really entertaining to watch. Kiki, a 13-year-old witch-in-training is the protagonist of the anime. To become a fully-fledged witch she needs to live on her own for a year without the help of her family or friends. She decides to undertake the journey and starts living in the town of Koriko. But living on her own is tough and she ends up having to stay on the street with no place to go. But later she meets Osono who lets her stay but she has to make deliveries for the bakery shop she owns. Over the course of the movie, we see Kiki become more responsible and starts her own delivery service via her broomstick.
11. Crayon Shin Chan (1992)
‘Crayon Shin Chan’ is another popular anime. It is a really funny anime series which revolves around a young boy living his normal life in the craziest and funniest way possible. I know people will tell you that this show is not for kids. Remember the infamous elephant gag? But well… if you can provide a bit of adult supervision then this show can be quite entertaining for kids. Shin Chan lives with his parents, Hiroshi and Misae, his little sister Himawari, and his dog Shiro. Shin Chan is mostly seen spending time with his five best friends, doing mischief at his home and his school. He always comes up with weird and funny solutions for problems or complications he faces in everyday life.
10. Mirai no Mirai (2018)
‘Mirai no Mirai’ is an entertaining anime movie which is around 1 hour and 37 minutes in length. The movie is filled with adventure, drama, and fantasy. The protagonist of the story is a four-year-old boy Kun Oota who is everyone’s apple of the eye in his family. He enjoys the love and attention he gets. But when his little sister is born it seems to him that she is the one who is taking away all the attention and stuff. He also seems to dislike the fact that his mother now has to go to work while his father stays at home. One day he angrily storms out into the garden. There he meets a teenage girl who tells him that she is his younger sister from the future. Together these two go on an adventure across the timeline during which Kun will get to learn a lot about his family as well as the responsibilities of being an older brother. But why did his sister come from the future?
9. Detective Conan (1996)
‘Detective Conan’ is one of my favorite mystery anime shows that I used to watch as a kid. The series is still ongoing and has generated a loyal fanbase. The protagonist of the anime is Shinichi Kudou who is a high school student of extraordinary intelligence when it comes to solving crimes. But one day while following two suspicious men he witnesses a bunch of illegal activities taking place and is caught. The men drug him with an experimental drug and leave him to die. Shinichi survives but now his body is that of a kid. Thankfully, his intelligence remains untouched. He takes the name of Conan Edogawa inspired by popular mystery writers and hides his true identity. He now secretly solves cases for his friend’s dad who is a private eye all the while trying to investigate the organization responsible for his current predicament.
8. Spirited Away (2001)
‘Spirited Away’ is one of the best supernatural anime movies that I have seen in recent times. The studio which produced the anime is Studio Ghibli. So, you can expect a really entertaining piece of art. The protagonist of this anime is Chihiro Ogino who is a 10-year-old girl. She is stubborn and naive. While moving to their new home Chihiro’s parents stumble across an abandoned amusement park. They seem to enjoy it a lot but Chihiro feels that there is something not quite right about the place. As soon as dusk falls the place seems to change a lot and strange apparitions start roaming around. His parents start eating some delicious food in the shops and are transformed into pigs. Turns out that Chihiro has crossed over to the spirit world and is now trapped there. To escape this place and save her parents she must trust and rely on Haku who might help her out.
7. Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo (1996)
‘Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo’ is a popular anime. Just to tease you guys I decided to put the Japanese name of the anime. But most of you must have got the idea about the anime by seeing the image, And you are right if you say that this anime is ‘Kochikame’. This anime series has around 373 episodes with each episode on average being about 25 minutes in length. The protagonist of the anime is Kankichi Ryoutsu who is a policeman. He does not get paid much so can often seem coming up with various money-making schemes which are quite hilarious and fun to watch. Almost all of his ideas end up going completely wrong in their implementation and he gets into huge troubles with his chief.
6. Beyblade (2001)
‘Beyblade’ is one of those anime which ended up being a phenomenon and garnered huge fanbases across the world. Everybody was watching it and playing with it. The first anime which came out in the year 2001 had a total of 51 episodes with each episode being 23 minutes in length. This anime is perfect for kids as it does not have any adult content and is about friendship and trust like ‘Pokemon’. The protagonist of the anime is a boy by the name of Tyson Granger who is 13 years old. He along with his friends/teammates Kai Hiwatari, Ray Kon, and Max Tate works and trains hard to become one of the best Beyblayders in the world. To do so they need to fight in various tournaments and win them.
5. Ponyo (2008)
Studio Ghibli is back to take you on an entertaining journey. This time it is the adventure, fantasy anime movie Ponyo. The movie is around 1 hour and 40 minutes in length. Sousuke, a young boy living by the sea along with his mother, is the protagonist of this movie. He flashes messages to his father’s boat across the water. One day he stumbles upon a goldfish which he finds in the debris brought in by the tide. He takes the goldfish home and names it Ponyo. But turns out it is not an ordinary goldfish. When a strange man visits Sousuke it starts his and Ponyo’s enlightening adventure. The duo needs to stay strong in their adventure and during it, they will learn the meaning of friendship and various other lessons from different characters they meet.
4. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
The entire list could have been filled with anime movies produced by Studio Ghibli. They are the creators of some of the best anime movies which are fun to watch with the entire family. ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ is another of their popular works. Howl is a powerful wizard who lives in a moving house. It is rumored that he is a womanizer. Sophie Hatter is a normal girl who works in her dad’s hat-making shop. One day she ends up in a dire situation and thankfully the mysterious wizard comes to her aid. But this gives rise to hate and vengefulness in the Witch of the Waste who has some beef with Howl. In a fit of jealousy, she curses Sophie and turns her into an old woman. Sophie could not return to her village in this form and decides to seek the help of Howl and without letting him know about her true identity starts working as his maid.
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3. Digimon Adventure (1999)
‘Digimon Adventure’ is a popular and entertaining anime. It came around the time when ‘Pokemon’ was quite popular and made a mark of its own. I remember watching it during my childhood. This is an isekai anime. It has a total of 54 episodes in it with each episode being around 24 minutes in length. The story starts when a bunch of kids finds themselves transported to a digital world devoid of humans and filled with digital monsters called Digimon. Each of the kids is paired with one Digimon. Turns out that the kids are the DigiDestined who need to save this digital world from evil forces. They need to train harder to become better fighters if they have to protect this world and return back home.
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2. Steamboy (2004)
‘Steamboy’ is an action, sci-fi anime movie which is around 2 hours in length. It is what you would call an alternate history anime. James Ray is the protagonist of this anime. He is a prodigy when it comes to inventing stuff. Ray lives in Victorian England. One day he receives a package sent by his grandfather Lloyd Steam from the United States. The package contains a steam ball which is a device capable of running any device which runs on steam providing it with an infinite amount of energy. Obviously, with an invention so important there must be some shady organizations trying to get their hands on the stuff. Now, it is up to Ray to use his intelligence to outsmart these people and prevent the steam ball from falling into the wrong hands.
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1. Wolf Children (2012)
I love anime movies a lot. If you have been reading my write-ups then you already know this fact. So, many of my lists have multiple anime movies. Up next, is another anime movie which is quite popular, ‘Wolf Children’. ‘Wolf Children’ is a wonderful and beautiful anime movie. This time the studio which produced the anime is Studio Chizu which is another giant when it comes to producing good anime movies. Hana is the protagonist of the movie. She falls in love with a student of her class who turns out to be the last remaining werewolf. But still, Hana loves him and goes forward with the relationship. They decide to start a family and Hana gives birth to two healthy children who share similar traits with their father. They name the girl, who is the elder of the two, Yuki and the boy Ame. But soon Hana’s husband dies leaving her to fend for her special children. She moves to the countryside where she tries her best to bring up the kids.
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