Rediscover the Classics: The Top 20 Must-Watch Anime from 2017
Looking for the best anime to watch? While new series come out every year, 2017 stands out as a legendary year for anime fans. It was a year packed with incredible returns and stunning new stories.
This list celebrates the top anime from 2017. We’re talking about major hits like Attack on Titan Season 2, the beloved My Hero Academia Season 2, and the long-awaited Ao No Exorcist: Kyoto Saga. But which series from that amazing year is considered the very best?
Explore our ranked list of the 20 best anime from 2017. It’s the perfect watchlist for discovering or revisiting iconic series. You’ll find everything from epic action and beautiful animation to heartwarming romance, unforgettable characters, and fantastic creatures.
In this article, we will highlight the best anime 2017 has to offer, showcasing series that left a lasting impact on fans.
20. The Eccentric Family 2
Forget everything normal. In a hidden, magical Kyoto, tanuki (raccoon dogs) shape-shift, tengu fly, and humans throw dinner parties. Yasaburou just wants to enjoy the chaos, but his dad—the former tanuki boss—was eaten by a secret society of gourmets.
Now, between silly tanuki feuds and hanging out with a lonely psychic girl, he’s piecing together his father’s last meal. It’s a stunning, weird, and heartfelt family drama disguised as a fantasy comedy. The mood is pure magic
19. Kakegurui
Hyakkaou Academy is a special kind of elite school. By day, students learn math and literature. By night, the classrooms turn into high-stakes gambling dens. Here, your social status, your future—everything—is decided by the cards you hold and the bluffs you make.
Enter Yumeko Jabami, the new transfer student. With a sweet smile and wide, innocent eyes, she seems like easy prey for the school’s ruthless hierarchy. But the moment she sits at a table, everything changes. She’s not here to win money or climb the social ladder.
She’s here for the sheer, dizzying thrill of the gamble itself.
Watching the odds twist, seeing her opponents sweat—it’s what makes her pulse race. Her fearless, almost unhinged passion for pure chance starts to topple the system, turning every game into a psychological war. If you love tension, mind games, and characters who are beautifully unhinged, this is your bet.
18. Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond
In this 2017 anime, New York is gone. In its place is Hellsalem’s Lot, a city sealed inside an impenetrable bubble after a sudden gateway to the supernatural realm ripped it open. Now, humans, monsters, vampires, and every creature you can imagine are crammed together, living in a wild, chaotic melting pot of crime and bizarre daily life.
Keeping the fragile peace (or what passes for it) is the secret organization Libra. This crew of outrageously stylish superhumans, psychics, and oddballs works in the shadows to stop the city—and the worlds inside it—from tearing each other apart. When a new threat emerges that could shatter the bubble for good, it’s up to their slick, explosive teamwork to save this beautiful, bonkers world.
It’s a non-stop, jazz-fueled action spectacle with heart and incredible flair. Pure, stylish chaos.
17. Yowamushi Pedal Season Three
The legendary seniors—Kinjou, Makishima, Tadokoro—have finally pedaled off into the sunset. Now, it’s time for a brand-new Sohoku High team to step up.
Our lovable first-years, Onoda, Imaizumi, and Naruko, aren’t just wide-eyed rookies anymore. With second-year Teshima as their new captain, they have to rebuild their team chemistry and aim for a second straight Interhigh championship.
But the road is steeper than ever. Their arch-rivals, Hakone Academy, are hungry to reclaim their throne with a revamped squad of their own. And they’re not the only threat—schools from across Japan, like the terrifying Midousuji and his Kyoto Fushimi High, are training harder than ever to take them down.
This 2017 season is all about new beginnings, relentless training, and the burning passion to prove that the spirit of Sohoku is more than just its graduates. The race for the top starts all over again.
16. ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept
Think of a cozy, quiet kingdom made of 13 different little countries. They’re all run by one big office called ACCA.
Jean works for ACCA. His job? He’s basically the guy who checks in on all the other offices. He travels from district to district, tries the local bread, and writes up boring reports. He’s really good at staying out of drama.
But right now, there’s a quiet rumor going around the kingdom. People are starting to whisper about a possible rebellion. And without meaning to, Jean keeps finding himself right in the middle of those whispers.
This is an 2017 anime, which is like a slow, cool spy thriller without the gunfights. It’s all about mood, subtle politics, and a main character who just wants to enjoy his cigarette in peace. It’s strangely relaxing and tense at the same time.
15. Just Because!
Aired in 2017 Just Because! is one’s for that bittersweet end-of-high-school feeling. Second semester is almost over, and for a group of third-year students, it feels like everything has already wound down. College plans are set, goodbyes are on the horizon, and each day is just going through the motions.
Then, out of nowhere, a transfer student shows up. He’s a familiar face from their middle school past. His sudden arrival is like a pebble dropped into still water—it sends quiet ripples through everyone’s settled lives, stirring up old feelings and changing the direction of their last days together.
It’s a quiet, real, and beautifully understated story about how a single person can change the course of your final chapter. It perfectly captures that melancholy, hopeful mood of endings and unexpected new beginnings.
14. The Ancient Magus’ Bride
The one who buys her isn’t a man. He’s Elias, a mysterious mage with a skull for a head and the body of a shadowy beast. He names her his apprentice, and more unexpectedly, his future bride.
Their strange life together begins in the quiet English countryside, a world overflowing with hidden magic, faeries, and dragons. It’s a story about finding a place to belong, and learning to value your own life when you meet someone who sees your worth. The animation is breathtaking—like a moving watercolor painting—and the mood is hauntingly warm. A true modern classic.
13. Little Witch Academia
This magical girl themed anime follows a spirited young lady named Atsuko “Akko” Kagari, who enrolls at the magical Luna Nova Academy with one dream: to be like her idol, the dazzling witch Shiny Chariot. Her journey truly begins during a class trip into a forbidden labyrinth, where an ancient dragon is accidentally unleashed.
To save her school, Akko must rely on her unwavering belief and heart to create her own magic. This 2017 magic series is celebrated for its gorgeous animation, heartfelt comedy, and inspiring message about perseverance.
12. Inuyashiki
2017’s Inuyashiki is a dark anime that hits you right in the feels. Meet Ichirou Inuyashiki. He’s 58, looks even older, and feels completely invisible. His family barely notices him, and his doctor just told him he’s dying. His life feels smaller than small.
Then, one night in a park, a flash of light from the sky changes everything. He wakes up fine—more than fine. His body isn’t human anymore; it’s been rebuilt into something else. Something with incredible, mechanical power.
For the first time, Ichirou sees a chance to matter. He decides to use his new form to help people, to be the hero he never got to be. But there’s a horrible twist. Someone else got the same power that night. And they don’t want to be a hero. They want to be somthing more.
The show asks a simple, heavy question: if you were given ultimate power, what kind of person would you become?
11. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
This wildly popular anime comedy begins with office worker Kobayashi, who returns home one night to find a real-life dragon named Tooru in her apartment. Tooru, who can take the form of a cheerful, busty girl in a maid outfit, insists on repaying Kobayashi for a drunken kindness and becomes her live-in maid.
What follows is a hilarious and surprisingly heartwarming slice-of-life fantasy. Tooru’s attempts at human chores—from ironing clothes with her breath to tail-powered vacuuming—lead to constant chaos. More dragons soon arrive from another world, each with their own quirky personalities, turning Kobayashi’s ordinary life into a daily adventure.
10. Berserk 2017
This 2017 Berserk version continues the dark and epic saga of Guts, the Black Swordsman. Still bearing the cursed Brand that draws monstrous horrors to him, Guts’s mission is now one of grim protection: he must safeguard Casca, whose mind is shattered, as they journey through a brutal, demon-infested world. This season forms a crucial part of the “Conviction Arc.”
The series sees Guts and his small, unlikely party gain new companions, including the puckish Isidro and the wise witch Schierke, whose magic becomes vital for their survival. While the anime’s CG animation divided fans, the 2017 adaptation delivers the uncompromising action, haunting horror, and tragic romance that define this legendary story, following the heroes into even deeper darkness.
9. Fate/Apocrypha
It’s a war, but bigger. They’ve changed the rules. Instead of seven masters fighting on their own, it’s two armies. Fourteen legendary heroes, split right down the middle. Team Black hides in their castle, guarding the Holy Grail. Team Red storms the city, sent to take it back.
And in the middle of it all, the Grail calls in a referee—a saint named Ruler, just to make sure nobody cheats too badly. If you love the Fate series for its huge fights and mythical heroes clashing, this 2017 sequel is that, but on an even grander scale. It’s a full-blown supernatural war.
8. Princess Principal
One of the most stylish and cool adventures from 2017 is Princess Principal. Think of London, but split in two by a giant wall. It’s the 19th century, all steam engines and top hats, but with a twist. And in the middle of it all are five girls at a fancy boarding school. They wear perfect uniforms and give perfect curtsies.
But after class? They’re spies. Saboteurs. Liars with licenses to do both. One can change her face. Another flies an invisible airship. They slip over the wall, swap secrets, and chase down conspiracies that could tip their world into war. Every episode feels like a slick, stylish spy movie—full of double-crosses, carriages that turn into getaway vehicles, and five friends who trust each other with their lives.
7. KONOSUBA -God’s blessing on this wonderful world! 2
The second season of this legendary comedy anime called Konosuba picks up right where the chaos left off. Kazuma, the put-upon NEET hero, is still stuck in a fantasy world with the worst party imaginable: a useless goddess, a masochistic crusader, and a mage who can cast exactly one spell before collapsing.
Their mission? Earn money, gain respect, maybe defeat a demon king. The reality? They’re broke, constantly in trouble, and their biggest enemy is each other’s spectacular incompetence. Whether they’re starting a scam business, getting thrown in jail, or accidentally angering entire towns, nothing ever goes right—and that’s exactly why it’s so hilarious.
6. Kino’s Journey
This anime is a quiet, thoughtful trip to strange new lands. It follows a traveler named Kino and her talking motorcycle, Hermes. Their rule is simple: visit a country, stay exactly three days, and then move on. No more, no less.
Each place they visit is like a living fable—a town where murder is legal, a country obsessed with tradition, a city that has perfected peace. Kino doesn’t judge or interfere; she observes, listens, and learns. She discovers that the world isn’t beautiful because it’s perfect. It’s beautiful because it’s messy, sad, hopeful, and strange.
If you want an anime that feels like a wise, wandering conversation—one that stays with you long after the journey ends—this is one of the greatest 2017 series and is a real hidden gem.
5. Gintama 2017
Look, calling Gintama just a “2017 anime” feels almost unfair. It’s a legend that just happened to bless 2017 with more of its genius. If you’re new, here’s the deal: it’s Edo-era Japan, but aliens have taken over and banned swords. Our “hero” is Gintoki Sakata, a lazy, strawberry-milk-loving samurai who runs a odd-jobs business to pay the rent.
Along with his crew—the straight-laced Shinpachi, the super-strong alien girl Kagura, and a giant dog named Sadaharu—he takes on any job. This means one episode they’re finding a lost cat, and the next they’re stopping an alien invasion or parodying the entire anime industry. This run delivers everything fans love: tear-jerking samurai drama, gut-busting comedy, and action that hits harder than Kagura’s stomach rumble.
4. March comes in like a lion
2017 has blessed us with March Comes in Like a Lion, an anime that doesn’t have explosions. It has something better: heart. Rei Kiriyama. He’s a 17-year-old professional shogi player, which means he’s a genius at a board game most people don’t understand. He’s also profoundly lonely, living by himself in a tiny Tokyo apartment, and haunted by the silence of his past.
Everything changes when he stumbles into the lives of the Kawamoto sisters—three women who live in a warm, noisy house full of laughter and homemade food. They don’t care about shogi; they care about him. They feed him, scold him, and slowly teach him how to be part of a family again.
3. Made in Abyss
This series starts like a beautiful, curious dream and descends into a breathtaking nightmare. It’s set in a world where the only thing worth discovering is the Abyss—a giant, mysterious hole in the ground that goes deeper than anyone knows. It’s filled with wondrous creatures, ancient treasures, and a curse that worsens the deeper you go.
The story follows Riko, a lively orphan who dreams of being a legendary diver like her mother, and Reg, a mysterious robot boy who might be the key to the Abyss’s secrets. Together, they venture downward into the unknown.
Don’t be fooled by the cute art style. Made in Abyss is a 2017 masterpiece of wonder, dread, and raw emotional storytelling. It’s about the beautiful terror of exploration, the price of curiosity, and bonds forged in darkness.
2. Attack on Titan Season Two
The walls are no longer safe. After barely surviving their first encounter with the Titans, Eren Yeager and the 104th Cadet Corps have graduated into the Survey Corps. But before they can even catch their breath, their world shatters again—Titans have breached Wall Rose.
The show delivers its second season in 2017 which strips away any sense of security. The horror isn’t just outside the walls anymore; it’s hiding inside them. Every episode tightens the suspense, revealing chilling secrets about the Titans and devastating truths about the characters you thought you knew. The animation is sharper, the dread is deeper, and the story evolves from a fight for survival into a dark mystery.
1. My Hero Academia Season Two
Alright, here we are. The number one spot. And for 2017, there’s no contest—it’s My Hero Academia Season 2.
This is the season where the series went from “great” to “legendary.” Izuku Midoriya isn’t just trying to be a hero anymore; he’s in the U.A. Sports Festival, fighting to prove himself to the entire world. His body still breaks with every use of One For All, but his spirit won’t.
We get iconic moments that defined anime in 2017: Deku vs. Todoroki. That’s not just a fight; it’s an emotional earthquake. It’s about legacy, pain, and what it really means to be a hero. The animation is explosive, the soundtrack pumps your heart, and the character growth is unmatched.
