10 Best ONA Anime (Japanese) Worth Your Time!

best ona anime

Netflix has been investing in anime a lot in the past few years. Not only by buying viewing rights of already established and popular anime, but also by creating new and interesting anime series.

This is in no way an exhaustive catalogue but just a list of a few animes I think might interest you. Also, depending on where you live, you might have to use a VPN to be able to watch everything on here.

So, without further adieu, let’s begin the list of best ONA anime series!

Best ONA Anime Series!

10. Kengan Ashura

Kengan Ashura- best ONA anime

Our protagonist Takita “Ashura” Ohma, is a talented fighter who fights in “Kengan” matches after being discovered by a powerful CEO’s lackey.

These matches are of extremely high stakes because the winners get to own the other company. So being a representative fighter of one of these corporations is a big deal and can involve a lot of danger.

Ashura faces fighters specializing in different martial arts, so it makes for really great and exciting fight scenes. Watch this if you love pure adrenaline-filled fights and ass-kicking of epic proportions.  

9. DevilMan Crybaby

DevilMan Crybaby- best ONA anime

It’s a story about two friends and their fights against demons in a world filled with them. Except, it’s not that simple.

It has some of the weirdest scenes involving nudity and sex mixed with violence and strange demons that I’ve ever seen in a show.

The series builds up to a climax at about halfway in the series and then, shit hits the fan after that. Do not watch it if you’re looking for something pleasant and easy-going and do not like nihilistic endings. 

8. Hi-Score Girl

Hi-Score Girl- best ONA anime

If you want to reminisce about arcade games and young love, this series will make you very happy.

The anime catalogs the beginning of the gaming industry, starting from arcade games like Street Fighter to personal gaming consoles masterfully and it does it through a story about young love.

Adorable characters, funny inter-character relationships, and a simple story make this an extremely enjoyable watch. 

7. Great Pretender

Great Pretender-best ONA anime

Heist, heist, and more heist. The series consists of different arcs, each of them is set in different places across the world.

group of talented criminals trick, deceive, and embezzle a bunch of bad guys and do it while looking cool.

There is an emphasis on a debonair and suave tone with the animation and soundtrack in every episode, and that alone should make it an intriguing watch for you. 

6. Baki

Baki- best ONA anime

If gratuitous violence had an anime adaptation, this would be it. From the beginning to the end, our hero encounters one over-powered villain after another.

But, the great part about the series is that it knows exactly what it is and embraces it fully with over-the-top characters and fights that give you badassery and comedy in equal measure.

There are so many memorable characters that are introduced as villains who you’ll eventually grow to love as the series progresses.

Much like Kengan Ashura, epic ass-kicking and adrenaline-pumping fights await you!

5. Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Disastrous Life of Saiki K- best ONA anime

It is one of the funniest anime I’ve ever watched, and the only one in its league, in my opinion, is Gintama. It doesn’t get the amount of recognition and praise that it truly deserves but still has managed to amass a loyal following.

Our main character Saiki Kusuo is essentially God with a vast array of powers bestowed upon him at birth, but all he wants in life is to be left alone and eat choco jelly all day.

His parents are hilarious, his brother tries killing him a few times due to sibling rivalry and jealousy, and that’s just his family. His friends are a collection of weird and funny characters who involve him in their daily struggles that he couldn’t be less bothered by.

Watch this one if you want to laugh so much that your neighbors think you should be sent to a Mental Facility. 

4. Aggretsuko

Aggretsuko- best ONA anime

Come for the Furries, stay for the Death Metal. Aggretsuko is a one-of-a-kind anime that hits its stride right from the first episode.

Retsuko, an office worker in the accounting department of a trading firm has to deal with her bully of a boss and weave through office politics daily.

Her reliability and sense of responsibility make her an easy target to be taken advantage of in the office and on top of all the extra work she has to complete to please people around her, she also has to deal with being single.

Agrretsuko is not just for the Furries and Metalheads, so whoever or whatever you are, please watch it and thank me later. 

3. Japan Sinks 2020

Japan Sinks 2020- best ONA anime

It is a relatively short series with only 10 episodes, but oh boy, does it pack a punch? It follows the Muto family and their struggles to survive through and after a series of earthquakes that hit Japan.

After dealing with all the natural calamities, they then have to deal with other human beings. The country is plunged into chaos, and all the worst tendencies of human nature start revealing themselves.

It’s an emotionally wrenching story and one that you shouldn’t miss out on despite all the bleakness, misery, and suffering. 

2. Dorohedoro

Dorohedoro- best ONA anime

Dorohedoro is a gem of a show that has great character designs and worldbuilding. There is almost nothing you can say bad about this anime.

The protagonist, Caiman is a human with a reptile head who hunts sorcerors with the help of his friend Nikaido. It is gory, brutal, and fun all at the same time.

The animation done by MAPPA is obviously on a high level, and the music score fits perfectly. The villains are particularly good, because they are varied, unique, and are morally ambiguous just like all good villains. It is a very quirky anime that definitely deserves your time. 

1. Beastars

Beastars- best ONA anime

Furries unite! This anime has everything going for it. Great animation, interesting dialogue, and an incredible music score.

We follow a Wolf named Legoshi through a murder mystery story while he deals with the realities of being a predator.

The murder created a rift between carnivores like Legoshi and the herbivores in the school and sets up a lot of great drama.

On top of all this, he falls in love with Haru, a dwarf Rabbit, who in turn is in love with someone else. I bet you haven’t seen an animal love triangle before, have you? 

Conclusion!

All these ten series are wildly different and are all well worth your time. Some will make you laugh till your stomach hurts, and some will make your eyes lose all their moisture but what is consistent is their quality.

Netflix keeps creating and increasing the number of new and interesting series, so do not miss out on the wave! Let us know what you think about this article in the comment section below.

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Posted by
George Pauly

Math tutor and hopeful Fantasy/Sci-Fi writer. I've loved Anime ever since Kagome time-travelled through a Well in a Shinto Shrine. Anime, Manga, Manhwa have meant a lot to me in the past few years and will continue to do so except now, I get to write about it!