2025 is nuts. Every studio is dropping bangers, sequels are getting emotional, and somehow there’s still room for wholesome fluff that’ll ruin you more than any death scene ever could. Your watchlist’s a disaster, your weekends are booked, and your brain can’t handle another cliffhanger — but here we are.
So instead of pretending you’re gonna catch up on all 36 shows airing this season, let me help you out. These are the ones that are actually worth your time — the anime that are carrying this year without even trying.
First up? A slow-burn romance that feels like a hug you didn’t know you needed.
1. A Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Type: TV (13 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 5, 2025
Genres: Romance, Slice of Life, School
Rating: 8.75 / 10
Similar Anime: Horimiya, Kaguya Sama Love is War, Toradora
Watch On: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Bilibili
Airing since July 5th and quietly dominating everyone’s watchlist, A Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity is 2025’s softest surprise. It’s not a show that kicks the door down — it walks in, gently adjusts your bookshelf, and somehow makes you blush in your own room.
The story follows Rintarou, a misunderstood high schooler with a “don’t mess with me” face and a “please be gentle” personality. He’s the kind of guy anime normally sidelines — except here, he’s the emotional center. Across from him is Kaoruko, the picture-perfect student council queen with flawless hair, polite speech, and a gaze that could shatter the social ladder. They meet. They talk. And something delicate starts blooming — quietly, awkwardly, and irresistibly.
What makes this anime so special isn’t just the characters or the setup. It’s the restraint. The pacing. The way a glance across the classroom means more than an entire confession scene in lesser shows. There are no random love triangles. No forced drama. Just two people, figuring out how to be honest in a world that expects them to perform.
Sitting at an impressive 8.75 rating on MyAnimeList, it’s earned its spot at the top without explosions, demon swords, or scream-powered transformations. It’s earned it with tension, eye contact, and a soundtrack that sounds like a memory.
If you’ve ever loved shows like Horimiya, Kimi ni Todoke, or My Love Story!!, you already know this is your lane. And if you’re usually into big-budget battles but your soul could use a recharge, trust me — this one’s worth your time. It’s warm, it’s quiet, and it’ll probably make you want to text someone you used to admire from a distance.
You can stream it right now on Crunchyroll, Muse Asia, or Bilibili. And if after episode 3 you’re not yelling “just confess already!” at your screen, you’re probably emotionally stable. Unlike the rest of us.
2. One Piece – Egghead Arc
Type: TV (1141 Episodes)
Airing Since: January 8, 2023
Genres: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Rating: 8.73 / 10
Similar Anime: Hunter x Hunter, Naruto Shippuden,
Watch On: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Bilibili
At this point, calling One Piece “still airing” is like calling the sun “still rising.” But what’s wild is that in 2025 — 25 years into its run — it’s not just surviving, it’s swinging harder than ever. The Egghead Arc isn’t filler, it’s not a breather, it’s not a setup. It’s payoff. Real, heavy, juicy, goosebump-laced payoff.
The Straw Hats land on a futuristic sci-fi island, and suddenly One Piece feels like someone gave Oda a Netflix original budget and said “go nuts.” Vegapunk’s lab, robot giants, time-travel hints, six personalities in one character, and lore bombs going off every episode — it’s a buffet of “what the hell did I just watch?” moments, and somehow it all fits. The art? Insane. The animation? Movie-tier on a weekly schedule. The pacing? Finally in sync with the story.
But Egghead isn’t just flashy. It’s heavy. Old mysteries start cracking open. Characters we forgot about resurface. And if you’ve been riding since East Blue, this arc feels like the reward for all the waiting. It’s weird, emotional, high-stakes, and also very One Piece — Luffy’s still being Luffy, even in a high-tech lab full of world-ending secrets.
If you dropped the show somewhere mid-Wano or never picked it back up after Water 7, this is your official call to come back. You’re missing peak One Piece. And if you’ve somehow avoided spoilers so far? You’re a miracle. Fix that.
Streaming on Crunchyroll, Netflix, or wherever you left off five years ago. And yeah, it still hits.
3. Dandadan – Season 2
Type: TV (12 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 5, 2025
Genres: Action, Supernatural, Comedy
Rating: 8.49 / 10
Similar Anime: Mob Psycho 100, Gintama, Jujutsu Kaisen
Watch On: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Bilibili
If Season 1 was a sugar rush straight to the brain, Season 2 is like taking that sugar, mixing it with alien conspiracy theories, turbo-charged ghost fights, and just enough teenage awkwardness to keep it painfully relatable. Dandadan is back, and it’s even more bonkers — in the best possible way.
The second season wastes no time — we’re straight back into the chaos with Momo and Okarun dealing with curses, aliens, spiritual gangsters, and whatever that muscle-flexing granny was. It’s beautiful nonsense, but somehow, it’s also got heart. Between all the teleporting, screaming, and psychic laser headbutts, there’s actually a core of found-family sweetness and teen-level awkward romance that grounds the show just enough to make it hit harder than it should.
What makes Dandadan different from every other action-comedy airing right now is that it fully embraces its weird. The pacing is insane, the animation goes wild at least twice an episode, and the character designs somehow manage to be hilarious and terrifying. It’s like Mob Psycho 100, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Gintama had a supernatural baby and fed it energy drinks for breakfast.
It’s not the kind of anime you ease into. It grabs you by the collar, suplexes a ghost in front of you, and then asks if you believe in aliens. If you don’t, too bad — you’re here now. And if you’re already on board, you know Season 2 is giving us peak Dandadan.
Watch it on Crunchyroll or wherever anime gets a little too intense for its own good.
4. Sakamoto Days – Season 1 (Part - 2)
Type: TV (12 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 5, 2025
Genres: Action, Comedy
Rating: 8.62 / 10
Similar Anime: Spy x Family, The Way of the Househusband
Watch On: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hianime
Remember when you thought Sakamoto was just a chubby ex-hitman running a corner store? Yeah, Part 2 is here to remind you that underneath the apron is the deadliest guy in the room — and now the whole assassin underworld is coming for him.
Season 1 Part 2 cranks everything up. The fights are tighter, the stakes are higher, and the comedy somehow still lands between every brutal punch. We’re deep into the Assassin Exhibition of the century, with Sakamoto, Shin, and Lu caught in a nonstop gauntlet of weird, stylish, and absurdly dangerous killers. Every episode feels like it’s trying to outdo the last, whether it’s through choreography so smooth it could be a movie, or mid-battle conversations that make you laugh when you should be stressed.
The magic of Sakamoto Days is how it never sacrifices fun for intensity. One second you’re gasping at a knife-to-throat slow-mo, the next you’re chuckling at a gag about convenience store discounts. And somehow, both moments feel equally important.
If Part 1 was the setup — the “look, he’s still got it” arc — then Part 2 is the confirmation. This isn’t a one-trick series. It’s an action-comedy that knows exactly what it’s doing, and it’s doing it ridiculously well.
Streaming now on Crunchyroll and Muse Asia. And fair warning — after this, every dad bod you see might feel a little suspicious.
5. My Dress-Up Darling – Season 2
Type: TV (12 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 2, 2025
Genres: Romance, Slice of Life, Comedy
Rating: 8.28 / 10
Similar Anime: Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, Kaguya-sama: Love is War
Watch On: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Marin Kitagawa is back, and so is that feeling you get when an anime makes you want to buy craft foam and learn how to sew. Season 2 doesn’t waste time — we’re straight back into cosplay chaos, high school shenanigans, and the kind of blush-filled moments that make you pause, rewind, and rewatch like, “Did that just happen?”
This season keeps the heart of what made Dress-Up Darling so addictive: Marin’s unstoppable energy, Gojo’s sweet awkwardness, and the cosplay projects that look good enough to be real con photos. But it also digs a little deeper into their relationship. You can feel the slow burn — the “we’re just friends but maybe not” tension that’s more powerful than a dozen confession scenes in lesser romcoms.
Of course, the humor is still there — whether it’s Marin overreacting in the most Marin way possible or Gojo quietly panicking over a measuring tape. And the production team? Still going above and beyond to make cosplay scenes look jaw-droppingly good. The details on every costume could make actual cosplayers jealous.
If you loved Season 1, this is basically your comfort anime for 2025. And if you haven’t started it yet… honestly, what are you doing? You’re missing peak wholesome-fun energy. This is the kind of show that makes you want to text your friend group “let’s go to a con.”
Watch it on Crunchyroll or Funimation, preferably with a notebook nearby for cosplay ideas you’ll probably never make.
6. Dr. Stone – Science Future Arc
Type: TV (11 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 3, 2025
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-fi
Rating: 8.32 / 10
Similar Anime: Steins;Gate, Cells at Work!,
Watch On: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hianime
Some shows give you sword fights, some give you giant robots — Dr. Stone gives you a snarky high school scientist rebuilding civilization with beakers, rope, and pure stubbornness. In this latest arc, Senku and the Kingdom of Science are diving even deeper into tech that feels way too smart for anime… yet somehow, it’s also hilarious.
The pacing is snappy — one minute they’re joking about ramen, the next they’re inventing something that should take humanity decades to figure out. But that’s the magic of Dr. Stone: it makes the impossible feel just barely possible, and it does it with enough style that you almost believe you could go outside and make a telescope from scratch. (Spoiler: you can’t. Don’t try.)
The crew dynamics are as sharp as ever — Senku’s smug “of course I knew that” energy, Chrome’s enthusiastic experiments, and Gen being… well, Gen. It’s the same mix of brainy problem-solving and “how are they still alive?” situations that’s kept the show fresh for years. And yeah, the science is legit enough that real-life teachers have probably used clips in class.
If you’ve been here since Season 1, you’re already locked in. If not, this is one of the rare shonen series where watching from the beginning is worth it — partly because you’ll actually understand what’s going on, and partly because you’ll get to see Senku’s first ridiculous “Eureka!” moments.
Catch it on Crunchyroll, Muse Asia, or Netflix — preferably with snacks and maybe a notebook, because it’s impossible not to start scribbling weird invention ideas halfway through an episode.
7. Kaiju No. 8 – Season 2
Type: TV (11 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 7, 2025
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Sci-fi
Rating: 8.57 / 10
Similar Anime: Attack on Titan, Godzilla Singular Point, Parasyte
Watch On: Crunchyrol, Hianime
Some shows are slow burns. Kaiju No. 8 is more like a monster punching you in the face in the first five minutes and then politely doing it again every week. Season 2 picks up right where the first left off — more kaiju, more city-level destruction, and more of Kafka Hibino desperately trying to keep his very inconvenient secret from the Defense Force.
This season’s got a perfect balance of spectacle and stakes. The fights are massive, but it’s not just “punch harder” every episode — there’s strategy, teamwork, and just enough emotional gut-punches to make you forget to breathe mid-battle. The Defense Force crew each get their moments, the new kaiju designs are nightmare fuel in HD, and the sound design? Let’s just say if you’re wearing headphones, you’re going to flinch.
What keeps Kaiju No. 8 interesting isn’t just the action, though — it’s Kafka himself. He’s not your typical 15-year-old shonen prodigy. He’s 32, a little worn down, a little sarcastic, and completely aware that turning into a giant monster is not a normal career move. It gives the show a different energy from the usual “young hero rises to the challenge” — more like “reluctant adult tries not to get fired while saving the world.”
If you’ve been missing that Attack on Titan-level intensity but with a main character who can actually make you laugh between disasters, this is your show. Just be warned: once you start, you’re waiting every week like the rest of us.
8. The Summer Hikaru Died
Type: TV (12 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 2, 2025
Genres: Supernatural, Psychological
Rating: 8.47 / 10
Similar Anime: Erased, March Comes in Like a Lion, The Great Pretender
Watch On: Crunchyrol, Hianime
Some anime grab you with explosions, others with comedy. Summer Hikaru Died grabs you with a quiet, uneasy feeling that sticks in your chest long after the credits roll. It’s not flashy. It’s not loud. But it’s the kind of story that crawls under your skin in the best possible way.
The setup sounds simple — Yoshiki’s best friend, Hikaru, died over the summer… except something that looks and sounds exactly like Hikaru came back. And now, Yoshiki has to navigate this strange, fragile relationship while pretending everything’s fine, even though nothing is. It’s part slice-of-life, part supernatural mystery, part “what even are we now?” heartbreak.
The pacing is slow but deliberate, every frame heavy with atmosphere. Long silences. Lingering glances. Backgrounds so detailed they almost feel like memories. And the sound design? Pure immersion — cicadas, wind through the trees, the kind of quiet that makes your heart pound.
What makes it hit so hard is that it’s not trying to scare you — it’s trying to make you feel unsettled. And it works. This is one of those shows where you finish an episode and just… sit there. No rush to hit “next,” because you’re still processing what you saw.
If you’re into series like March Comes in Like a Lion or Erased, but you wish they leaned a little more into the uncanny, this is your lane. Just don’t watch it when you’re feeling too comfortable — it might mess with your head.
9. Gachiakuta
Type: TV (12 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 2, 2025
Genres: Action, Drama, Mystery
Rating: 8.38 / 10
Similar Anime: Chainsaw Man, Akame ga Kill!, Dorohedoro
Watch On: Crunchyrol, Hianime
Some anime worlds are whimsical. Gachiakuta is… not that. This is grime, rust, and raw survival — a place where you can almost smell the metallic air through the screen. And it’s gorgeous in its own, brutal way.
The story follows Rudo, a street-smart kid from the slums who’s framed for murder and thrown into the “Abyss” — basically a massive dumping ground for society’s trash. Except down there, the trash fights back. Twisted monsters, weaponized junk, and a society built on scraps. It’s survival of the craftiest, and Rudo’s not exactly the type to wait around for someone to save him.
Animation-wise? Absolute eye candy if you like your action scenes dirty, chaotic, and creatively violent. Every fight feels like it’s one wrong move away from going horribly sideways, which keeps the tension high. And the weapon designs — recycled, improvised, half-broken tools — feel like they belong in a game you’d absolutely die in within the first five minutes.
What makes Gachiakuta stand out is how it blends that edgy, underground shonen vibe (Chainsaw Man, Akame ga Kill!) with just enough mystery to keep you hooked. There’s a bigger world beyond the Abyss, and every episode cracks it open a little more.
If you’re the type who loves rooting for underdogs in impossible situations, this one’s a must. Just… maybe don’t snack while watching.
10. Call of the Night
Type: TV (12 Episodes)
Airing Since: July 5, 2025
Genres: Romance, Slice of Life
Rating: 8.42 / 10
Similar Anime: Noragami, Monogatari Series, Your Name
Watch On: Crunchyrol, Netflix, Hianime
Some shows are meant to be watched in daylight. Call of the Night is not one of them. This is neon streets, empty alleys, and the hum of a vending machine at 2 AM — the kind of vibe that makes you want to grab a canned coffee and wander under streetlights just to see what happens.
Season 2 picks up right where the first left off, with Ko Yamori still navigating that thin, intoxicating line between human life and the allure of becoming a vampire. His nights with Nazuna are the same mix of playful teasing, awkward honesty, and sudden flashes of intimacy that make you forget anyone else exists. But this time, the world around them feels sharper — more vampires, more danger, and more moments that make you question whether Ko’s chasing freedom or just running from the daylight.
Visually, it’s as stunning as ever. The color palette is pure nocturnal candy — purples, pinks, blues so deep you can fall into them. And the soundtrack? Still a perfect mix of lo-fi beats and jazzy grooves that sound like they belong on a playlist called “3 AM Decisions.”
What makes Call of the Night so addictive is that it never rushes. It’s not a sprint to some big finale — it’s a slow, magnetic pull. You watch because you want to live in this world a little longer.
If you liked Monogatari, Noragami, or even Your Name’s quiet, lonely moments, this is your jam. Just… maybe don’t start it right before bed unless you’re okay with staying up to watch “just one more episode” until the sun comes up.
And that’s the anime spread we’re feasting on in 2025 — from blush-worthy high school romances to giant bug-squashing kaiju brawls, eerie slow burns, and pure shonen chaos. Honestly, it’s a great time to be alive… or at least awake at 3 AM with Crunchyroll open.
Whether you’re the type to watch three shows at once or commit your whole soul to one, this season’s stacked enough that there’s something calling your name. Maybe it’s love. Maybe it’s violence. Maybe it’s love and violence (looking at you, Dandadan).
So, what’s on your watchlist right now? Are you already caught up, or are you that person who waits until the season ends to binge it all in one go? Drop your picks in the comments — I’m always hunting for recommendations, even if my backlog cries a little every time.
Until next time — keep watching, keep sharing, and maybe, just maybe, get some sleep between episodes.
