If there ever was one thing that Japan gave us that we wouldn’t exist without, it would probably be anime. For most of us as kids, anime is the very first window to Japan ever, along with other ideas such as camaraderie, friendship, and optimism. These past 30 years have been rife with good anime, most of which were targeted at teens and young adults. However, there are also some good anime for kids. The best part is that some of those are also good for adults! If you are a subscriber of Netflix, then you would be pleased to find that there is a lot of anime for kids on Netflix so you can raise those awesome anime kids. However, limiting the pool of best anime for kids just on Netflix would be a disservice to a lot of anime lovers out there. As it is, there are dozens of good ones in other media-service providers and networks too. For the sake of time, we did compile a list of the best 10 anime for kids, like, ever. You would not want the children in your house to grow up without these anime, we saved the best for last.
10 Best Anime for Kids
Beyblade (Any)
First premiered in 2001
If there ever was something that can teach kids about being a fair sport other than sports, it is toys. Beyblades are more special than others, however, because they are pretty much modern counterparts of tops. The anime is about an optimistic and strong-spirited young man named Tyson Granger (Takao Kinomiya in the Japanese version) who wants to be the best at Beyblade because he loves the sport. Just prepare to be bombarded with requests to buy Beyblades after letting your kids watch this.
Yu-Gi-Oh (Any)
First premiered in 2000
Trading card games (TCGs) require wits, strategy, tactics, and deception similar to chess. Problem is, some TCG franchise’s rules are too complex for kiddos. Yu-Gi-Oh fixes that and introduces mechanics and rules that even children can pick up. Thanks to the anime, children can learn how to use their heads in mind games and challenges that don’t always require brawns. Oh yeah, it is also one way to get them to like math, lots of arithmetic happens in this card game and the anime.
My Hero Academia
13 episodes for 1st Season (2016)
Superheroes are all the rage these days thanks to Marvel and the late and great Stan Lee. So if you want kids to get the best of both worlds with superheroes and anime, then look no further than Boku no/My Hero Academia. The story revolves around a boy named Izuku Midoriya who has no superpowers in a world of superheroes. That did not stop him from enrolling in a superhero academy, however, teaching kids once and for all that handicaps are not a reason to quit.
Dragon Ball (All of ’em)
First premiered in 1986 with Dragon Ball
Kids definitely need to learn about productive and positive strength and the Dragon Ball franchise has that in spades. Here we see the all-time great protagonist Goku and his merry band of friends protect the galaxy from big bad baddies that want to use their powers… well, to get more powerful. If you ever wanted to introduce kids to martial arts or determination, then this is the way to motivate them.
Naruto
220 episodes (2002-2007)
Being an orphan or being different so much as to be bullied need not be an obstacle to success, that is what Naruto initially teaches kids. It is about a boy who grew up alone with a monster inside of him but still wanted to be a Hokage, which is pretty much a ninja town equivalent to president. As such, kids can learn to dream big and work hard to achieve them with the help of friends, no matter how much they “hate” you. Oh, kids can also learn how to be a ninja, that’s a plus.
Sailor Moon
220 episodes (1992-1997)
Don’t be fooled by the sailor uniform costumes and the cutesy look of the characters – Sailor Moon is all about teaching girl power to little girls. Don’t worry boys, there is also a male protagonist character there… albeit only one. Still, the general target demographic of Sailormoon is girls. It features a school girl named Usagi who is given a magic brooch by a talking black cat. That brooch gave her a magical power which she must use to defend Earth from evil forces… look, it was 1992, stop judging the premise, you.
Digimon: Digital Monsters
205 episodes (1999-2003)
Never underestimate the power of having a best friend, even if they are not human. That is what Digimon is all about and it involves young teens who got sent to a digital world with each getting paired with their own morphing monster called Digimon. Of course, being in a digital world, they set out on an adventure against evil.
Sonic (Sonic X)
First anime aired in 2003
Sonic is one of the most iconic video game characters ever, so it is only natural that an anime was made about the dashiest hedgehog ever. Hence, Sonic X. It pretty much follows the same premise as the franchise with Sonic and his other anthropomorphic alien animal friends teaming up with a boy from Earth to stop the nefarious Dr. Eggman from getting the Chaos Emeralds and becoming a celebrity with the power of speed… and friendship, of course.
Detective Conan/Case Closed
Japan – 934 episodes/International – 870 episodes (ongoing since 1996)
Want your kids to be inquisitive and curious about potential crimes, big or small? Well then, introduce them to Detective Conan! It’s an anime about a 16-year-old prodigy detective who got transformed back into his child self when a shady organization tried to poison him. Now, he still manages to continue his detective work and aid the police in solving crimes each episode despite having the appearance of a child. This anime is a great way to raise smart kids.
Pokemon
1035 episodes (Ongoing since 1997)
Yep, you saw this more than a mile away, didn’t you? Apparently, it’s not about to end any time soon. Same old trope, Pokemon trainer Ash along with his stubborn Pikachu and some other Pokemon trainers go on their quest to be the very best like no one ever was. Still, the important lessons remain the same, which is to teach kids to love animals and pets… by ensnaring them and making them beat the crap out of other animals. Jokes aside, Pokemon is a classic we all know and love.
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