2019's Anime You Can't Miss: My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, More

2018 proved to be an incredible year for anime. We saw Netflix taking the initiative by funding and releasing original anime to their roster, brand new series like Megalobox, Aggretsuko, and A Place Further Than the Universe stand out, and the continuing adaptations of popular manga like My Hero Academia and Attack on Titan got what could be their best seasons yet.

But even with the amazing year in anime we’ve seen from 2018, 2019 is shaping up to be an even bigger year to get excited for. Netflix has a slew of strong anime lined up for its streaming service, which, if 2018 was any indication, will include some genuinely strong hits. Some of these are directed by well known anime studios, with Madhouse--animators of the first season of One Punch Man---tackling a new anime adaptation of Boogiepop and Others. We’ll even see the return of classic shows in a new way.

The shonen scene is strong too, with prolific anime series in their prime once again returning in 2019. Shonen Jump, the birthplace of Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Punch Man, and My Hero Academia will be getting yet another anime adaption from one of their serialized manga. Not only that, but we’re finally going to see the return of popular gag manga artist ONE’S major anime series, One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100. Fans have waited years to see the continuation of both of these series, and that long wait is finally coming to an end this upcoming year.

So, what do you have to be excited for in 2019? Check below for the Biggest Anime to Look Forward to in 2019. When you're done, let us know what we missed, and what anime you’re most looking forward to. Then check out some of our other end-of-year lists, like the biggest comics to read in 2019, the best performances of the year, and the biggest horror movies to look forward to in 2019.

When One Punch Man first hit the air, it was an immediate and resounding success. While the premise sounds ridiculous--Saitama, the world’s strongest superhero, can destroy anything in one punch--the show works on every single level. The characters are strongly written and hilarious, especially Saitama, who's bored with how overpowered he is and dreams of a challenge.

As season 1 progressed, we learned about the Hero Association Saitama becomes a part of to earn some recognition for his heroic deeds. And just as the inner workings and turmoil within the Hero Association were being brought forth, the season came to an end. Finally, years later, Season 2 of One Punch Man will be releasing in 2019. While this is all great news, and the writing of the manga has held up for what will be the upcoming 2nd season, the anime has transferred studios from Madhouse to J.C. Staff. With how incredibly well handled the animation and direction was in Season 1, we’ll have to hope J.C. Staff can live up to the show’s high standards.

If it wasn’t exciting enough that One Punch Man will be returning for a second season in 2019, series creator ONE’s other anime adaptation, Mob Psycho 100, will also be returning right at the start of the new year. Mob Psycho 100, similar to One Punch Man, follows the adventures of Shigeo Kageyama, referred to as Mob--an extremely overpowered Esper with such strong psychic abilities, he can utilize them to defeat anyone. Also similar to One Punch Man, the character writing is top notch. However, the similarities end there.

Mob is a student in Junior High who, outside of his psychic abilities, fails at just about everything else. He doesn’t want to rely on his powers to get ahead in life, seeks the attention of his lifelong crush, and works for a fraud psychic, Arataka Reigen. I cannot stress enough how incredible this series is, and studio Bones have done an amazing job with the animation. It’s my personal opinion Mob Psycho 100 exceeds One Punch Man, and this show alone makes 2019 an exciting year for anime.

My Hero Academia has quickly become one of the greatest shonen anime of all time. Not only is it an excellent anime, but also a top tier superhero tale rivaling any of the West’s best superhero offerings. Season 3 of My Hero Academia was its best yet, with Midoriya finally shouldering real responsibility as a hero at times, and amazing moments from All Might.

With the major success of My Hero, it’s not surprising that it was immediately greenlit for a 4th season. However, the release date is currently unannounced. There’s been speculation we’ll see a release April 2019, and with an optimistic viewpoint, we’re adding the show to this list, as it absolutely deserves to be here.

After a somewhat slow second season, Attack on Titan’s latest season has ramped things up to a breakneck pace. In a blog post, Attack on Titan creator Hajime Iseyama explained he was unsatisfied with the pacing of this portion of his manga, and requested it be sped up for the animated version. This decision pays off in a big way, and what we find are major military and government secrets being revealed, more about the world outside and the way titans work explained to us, as well as a plethora of incredible battles for our viewing pleasure.

So without spoiling what we can expect for the second part of the third season, we did get a glimpse at some of the enemy titans at the end of Part 1. While Part 1 focused primarily on civil war and human vs. human, it looks like the titan action will be back. And if Part 2 is anything like Part 1, major revelations about the world are sure to be coming.

While Netflix original animes are pretty hit or miss, this particular one looks like it could be a great new series. In Revisions, five students are transferred 300 years into the future through a phenomenon dubbed the “Shibuya Drift.” This future seems to be a wasteland filled with mechanical “Revisions”, huge robotic monsters that seem to be out to destroy them. The five are saved by a girl using a mobile suit “String Puppet”.

The premise sounds fun and the animation looks like a 2D/3D hybrid, which actually seems to work alright here, although time will tell. Definitely watch for this come January.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is another Shonen Jump manga that will finally be receiving an anime adaptation. The manga first began in 2016 and is still running today, focusing on Tanjirou Kamado and his sister Nezuko, who are the only survivors when demons come and kill their entire family. In order to avenge his family and save his sister, who has become a demon, Tanjirou decides to become a demon hunter.

While this isn’t strictly an anime, as it’s more of a 3D animation with an anime style, we’re putting this on the list as it’s based on a manga. For those who remember Ultraman, it was originally a Japanese live action series involving a member of the Science Patrol, Shin Hayata, transforming into the giant Ultraman in order to protect the Earth from giant Kaiju who come and attack it.

A manga sequel was released beginning in 2011, and it’s this manga that the upcoming Netflix animation is based on. This time around, Shin Hayata’s son, Shinjiro, discovers his father is Ultraman during an altercation with a fake, and that he has also inherited the powers of Ultraman. From the trailer, we seem him on a quest to save his father, the original Ultraman. Ultraman hits Netflix in April of 2019.

This is an interesting one. Boogiepop Phantom was a creepy and surreal horror anime that released in 2000, and was based on a late ‘90s manga. In Phantom, various High School students witness a pillar of light, which forces an evolution on them, culminating in dark happenings as many go crazy or suffer in other ways.

The manga series extended beyond the anime, and it seems the new show coming to Netflix will explore other sections of the manga not shown in the 2000 anime. A trailer was released by Studio Madhouse, who had also worked on the original, and as expected from the studio, the animation and artwork both look superb. If you’re in the mood for something creepy, Boogiepop should deliver.