2024 has been an exciting year for anime releases. While we’ve gotten many new-gen anime making their official debuts, there have also been a fair amount of old anime releasing new seasons with higher stakes, better animation and newer storylines. It’s no news then that anime fans around the globe have had a lot to cheer for this year. Having said that, here are five anime that you can consider if you’re on the lookout for something new.
Also Read: DanDaDan – Could this be your next binge?
1. Dragon Ball Daima
Kicking off our list is the latest entry into the Dragon Ball universe, Dragon Ball Daima. The anime takes place immediately after the end of Dragon Ball Z with Kid Buu’s defeat and the plot revolves around Goku and his friends being turned into children following a curse. To reverse the curse’s effects, Goku and team travel to a new world and face off against a new enemy.
Dragon Ball DAIMA
Unveiling new characters & a main visual
Plus a highly anticipated new trailer!#DAIMA #DragonBallhttps://t.co/ExyuvZ8HPN pic.twitter.com/AnsPvwPZKU
— DRAGON BALL OFFICIAL (@DB_official_en) July 19, 2024
Dragon Ball Daima is also only the second and the last installment in the Dragon Ball franchise that was written by series creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away in March 2024. The series is textbook Dragon Ball and features a lot of exciting action scenes and humor. Fans can watch the anime throughout the globe on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll and Netflix.
2. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
When the original Bleach anime ended in 2012, fans of the franchise were eagerly waiting for the next installment in the series. After all, Tite Kubo’s popular manga is referred to by fans as part of the original ‘Big Three’ alongside Naruto and One Piece. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War promises great visuals, thrilling fights and lots of “Getsuga Tenshous”. The series has been broken down into three cours, with the first one released in October 2022, and the latest, the third cours titled ‘The Conflict’, premiered in October 2024.
The plot follows Ichigo Kurosaki coming face-to-face with the Quincy King Yhawch and his army of Quincies as they invade Soul Society, threatening to destroy and recreate the entire world in their image. The series introduces many new characters and features a host of fan-favorites making their return. Despite being new, the series retains many elements from the original Bleach anime. You can watch all the episodes on Disney+, Netflix and also Hulu.
3. MF Ghost
Ask any self-respecting car enthusiast what their favorite anime is, chances are they’d say Initial D. While Shuichi Shigeno’s original series followed the street racing scene in the mountain roads of Japan, it played a major role in popularizing Japanese cars, car culture and drifting throughout the globe. The series had such a profound impact on car culture that series protagonist Takumi Fujiwara’s Toyota Corolla AE86 Trueno has reached legendary status in the car world.
MF Ghost takes place in the same universe in the year 202x where gasoline cars have been replaced by self-driving electric ones, and follows Kanata Rivington, a rookie competing in MFG, one of the most popular racing series on the planet. What sets the series apart from its predecessor is the fact that the races take place in the day as opposed to nights, and instead of driving mass-market vehicles, the drivers compete with each other in exotic cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis. If you’ve ever been into cars and racing, this is the anime for you.
You can watch all the episodes on Crunchyroll
4. DanDaDan
Another debutant on our list, the DanDaDan anime was announced in November 2023, and was one of the most anticipated anime of 2024. Released globally in October 2024, the anime was well-received by fans and the audience alike, garnering lots of praise for its animation style.
DANDADAN OPENING IS PEAK pic.twitter.com/uDSEedHRs7
— Dandadan Daily Shots (@DandanShots) October 8, 2024
The plot follows high-schoolers Momo Ayase, a psychic who believes in ghosts but not aliens, and Ken Takakura aka Okarun, a nerd who believes in aliens, but thinks ghosts don’t exist. The story combines intense fight scenes with humor, gore and horror; making this a unique anime to watch. It’s also worth mentioning that creator Yukinobu Tatsu worked as an assistant for Tatuki Fujimoto on Chainsawman, and that inspiration is apparent in DanDaDan.
The anime can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
5. Blue Lock
Our final entry in the list is Blue Lock. The first season of the anime began airing in late 2022, and has a total of 31 episodes to date. It’s one of the most popular sports anime and manga series in the recent years. Blue Lock follows Yoichi Isagi, a high school football player with dreams of becoming the best striker in the world and leading Japan to the coveted FIFA World Cup title. He gets invited to Blue Lock, an elusive organization that aims to revolutionize Japanese football by creating a striker capable of scoring goals and leading Japan to glory.
What would you rate Blue Lock?
byu/I_lovemovies inanime
The series features a strong plot, memorable characters and utilizes real-life football techniques and concepts. While the first season garnered favorable views from audiences, the second season, which was recently released, has invited a lot of criticism for its animation style. Nonetheless, the anime still feels exciting to watch, and is worth considering for your next Sunday binge. You can watch all episodes on Crunchyroll.
With this, we’ve reached the end of our list. Here’s hoping we’ve helped you decide the next anime you’d be watching.
Also Read: One Piece anime announces shocking six-month hiatus; Here’s why
