The 16 best animated series you can stream on Netflix right now
Business Insider
Netflix
Netflix is home to dozens of original and licensed animated series.
Insider has picked the 16 must-see shows perfect for bingeing, including "Bojack Horseman," "She-Ra," and "Trollhunters."
Read on for the full list below.
Netflix has numerous original and licensed animated series available to stream, including irreverent hits like "Bojack Horseman" and "Big Mouth," and animated staples like "Death Note" and "Yu-Gi-Oh!"
It can be overwhelming to sift through the many titles available on the streaming service, so Insider has compiled the 16 must-watch animated shows that are perfect for bingeing.
"Bojack Horseman" is an irreverent animated comedy.
Netflix
"Bojack Horseman" is equal parts comedy and drama, with that unique mix contributing largely to the show's popularity and impact on pop culture. The Netflix original series is a satire about an alcoholic, has-been actor who happens to be a talking horse voiced by Will Arnett. With a deep bench of supporting characters on par with "The Simpsons," and a penchant for making fans laugh and cry, there's nothing else like this show on TV.
"Buddy Thunderstruck" focuses on a race-truck driving dog.
Netflix
If "Robot Chicken" and "Talladega Nights" had a kid, it would be this show. Hailing from the same studio that made "Robot Chicken," "Buddy Thunderstruck" is a family friendly series about (naturally) a race-truck driving dog and his best friend and mechanic, a ferret. Stop-motion animation for kids is very rare for the genre nowadays, and so is a show this fun and well-written.
"The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants" is based on a children's book series.
Netflix
"The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants" is much funnier — and better — than its mediocre name would suggest. Boasting an impressive voice cast headed by Nat Faxon and Sean Astin, this animated series from Titmouse and DreamWorks is a very entertaining binge watch for both kids and their parents.
"Trollhunters" was created by award-winning director Guillermo del Toro.
DreamWorks Animation Television
Leave it to creator and Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro to help craft one of the best animated series ever made. The Emmy-winning "Trollhunters" balances action-packed kids fare with heady themes and stories about the occult, myths, and hunting trolls. On paper, this show shouldn't work — there's too many buy-ins for audiences. But "Trollhunters" pulls it off effortlessly. And who doesn't love watching an armor-clad 15-year-old student slaying trolls with something called the Sword of Daylight?
Some seasons of "Naruto" are available on Netflix.
Naruto: Shippuden
Good news? Netflix is streaming "Naruto," the anime series classic. Bad news? The streamer only has the first three seasons of the iconic show available. More than 20 years since the manga source material hooked in legions of fans with its story about a troublemaker turned epic hero, "Naruto" still very much holds up.
"She-Ra and the Princess of Power" is a reboot of an '80s show.
Netflix
"She-Ra" is the perfect example of how one reboots an '80s show into a series that, unlike its source material, has much more on its mind than selling toys.
Netflix's inspired animated series reimagines the origin story of He-Man's sister in a way that delivers more action, drama, and heart than the original ever could. And fans have embraced it and its attention to socially-relevant themes and issues, especially those centered on inclusivity, LGBTQ, and diversity.
"Dragons: Race to the Edge"
Netflix
Fans of the "How to Train Your Dragon" film series from DreamWorks can continue the adventures here with the underrated "Dragons: Race to the Edge." Six seasons of adventures featuring the Dragon Riders is, tonally, a mixed bag— the show struggles with whether it wants to be a silly kids show about dragons or "Game of Thrones"-esque bit for tweens. When the show masters its tone, however, the end result is some of the most entertaining kids programming the genre has ever seen.
"Voltron: Legendary Defender" is another reboot of an '80s show.
Netflix
Netflix loves their '80s animated series reboots and "Voltron: Legendary Defender" ranks right up there with "She-Ra" in terms of quality. The new take on five robotic lions — that combine to form super-sized robot defender Voltron — is seven seasons of epic sci-fi storytelling fueled by a surprisingly resonate emotional core about what it takes to be heroes. The '80s original anime series wishes it had the visual scope and dramatic scale of this hit show.
"Death Note" is a beloved anime show.
NTV
A very faithful adaptation of the Japanese manga series, "Death Note" is a violent and intense anime about an untested high school student who literally has the power of death and the detectives struggling to stop him at their own peril. It's a supernatural crime thriller that doesn't shy away from the very real (and scary) consequences of being a teen who can wield death at will — all while executing stories with tons of uneasy, white-knuckle tension.
"Attack on Titan" is a pretty bonkers animated show.
Funimation
"Attack on Titan" is all kinds of crazy, which is why anime enthusiasts flip for its complicated and insane premise: All that separates humanity from flesh-eating giants (Titans) is a wall. And when a portion of that wall is knocked down by one of those Titans, it falls on a young boy and his foster sister to stop them. Visually impressive and exciting to watch in a "how-did-they-pull-this-off?" sorta way, "Titan" is must-see viewing for animation fans.
"Castlevania" is an adaptation of a video game.
Netflix
Comics scribe Warren Ellis' adaptation of the popular Nintendo video game series is one of Netflix's most popular animated series. It is also one of the genre's most visually intense entries ever, proving to be more violent and scarier than its source material ever was — and making Dracula and vampires scary again.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion" has 26 episodes available to stream.
ADV Films
"Neon Genesis Evangelion" is now streaming for the first time ever, and watching all 26 episodes of the series for the first time is an unforgettable experience. Set in a future following a world-changing disaster, the anime centers on a teenage boy (and citizen) of the city Tokyo-3 as he pilots a big robot to battle some nasty aliens. Lots of kick-punching and religious imagery ensues.
"Pokémon" is one of the most beloved animated shows of all time.
OLM
'90s kids? Get excited. Netflix has plenty of Ash and Pikachu's adventures and Indigo League battles for you to revisit or check out for the first time.
"Yu-Gi-Oh!" is another classic animated show.
4K Media Group
Kazuki Takahashi's creation is basically the perfect gateway anime for audiences. If you like "Pokémon," monsters, and solving puzzles, than add "Yu-Gi-Oh!" to your watch list.
"Big Mouth" is an irreverent comedy about pubescent teenagers.
Netflix
"Big Mouth" makes for a quality double-bill binge with "Bojack Horseman." The borderline X-rated comedy, from Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg, turns our awkward struggles with puberty into a hilarious and relatable cartoon for adults. The show's unique, unflinching approach to sex and our relationship to it, coupled with a voice cast including Maya Rudolph and Jordan Peele, makes all two seasons of this series easy to fall for.
"The Magic School Bus" is a must-watch for '90s kids.
'90s kids and Millennials will have significant care space devoted to this PBS classic. Ms. Frizzle (voiced by Lily Tomlin) shrinks her students and their bus before taking them on quality edu-tainment adventures exploring outer space or into the human body. Kate McKinnon voicing Frizzle in the rebooted "The Magic School Bus Rides Again" is entertaining, too, but the best field trip to take is with the original series.
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